The Nation : January 22, 1998: Pipe

[suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Politics 

      Pipeline protesters run
      risk of exposure to HIV

      PROTESTERS camping near the
      controversial Yadana gas pipeline in
      Kanchanaburi province have a new cause
      for concern -- the project has the potential
      to further the spread of HIV/Aids, senior
      health officials warned yesterday. 

      Quite apart from the environmental impact,
      the mobilisation of huge numbers of
      workers and the widening of the road for
      the movement of materials could facilitate
      the spread of Aids along the construction
      route, Aids Division Director Wiput
      Poolcharoen, said. 

      However, protesters and conservationists'
      main concerns are environmental issues.
      They have yet to realise the health
      implications of the project, Wiput said. 

      The government should require developers
      of any large project to include a social
      feasibility study in their contract. 

      World Bank senior economist Mead Over
      said many workers employed to work on
      large development projects had to travel
      away from home. It was likely many would
      engage in risky behaviour and therefore be
      in danger of HIV infection. 

      Over yesterday presented the results of
      research on Aids and development to
      officials and academics at the Public
      Health Ministry. 

      His book, ''Confronting Aids; Public
      priorities in a global epidemic'' was
      published in November. 

      He said the government should take into
      consideration the impact of any large-scale
      development on people's health and act
      accordingly. 

      Health Department Director General Dr
      Damrong Boonyuen said government
      public policy often ignored the impact on
      health. 

      He called for policies to be based on public
      health interests. The government should
      think more about the ''negative social
      environment'' which would arise from a
      particular development. 

      According to Over, Aids has a huge impact
      on development, and vice versa. The Aids
      epidemic had slowed the development
      process and reduced average life
      expectancy by 10 years in Africa and two
      years in Thailand. 

      Aids-related diseases have also had an
      impact on the health care system and on
      households. The quality of basic health care
      has fallen and necessary care had become
      more and more expensive. As parents have
      died from Aids, many children had been
      forced to drop out of school, he said. 

      Regardless of tight budgets, the
      government has a fundamental role to
      maintain its efforts in HIV/Aids prevention
      as well as helping and protecting people
      living with HIV/Aids from any kind of
      discrimination, Over said. 

      The government should ensure that people
      with HIV/Aids have the same access to
      treatment and assistance as people with
      other diseases. 

      BY MUKDAWAN SAKBOON 

      The Nation