PUCL,October 2003
AIDS activists detained at Mumbai International Airport
Also see, AIDS activists quarantined
Sangama
Flat 13, 3rd Floor, 'Royal Park' Apartments
34 Park Road, Tasker Town, Bangalore - 560051
Phone: 2868680/2868121
Email: sangama@sangamaonline.org, sangama@vsnl.net
PUCL-Karnataka
46, Wellington Street
Richmond Town
Bangalore - 560025
Email: puclblr@hotmail.com
2nd November 2003
Bangalore
Press Release
Dear Sir/Madam
We along with INP+ (India Network for People living with HIV/AIDS, Chennai)
organized a press meet today (2nd November 2003, Sunday) at The Press
Club of Bangalore at 02:30 p.m. The Press Meet was addressed by Elavarthi
Manohar (Program coordinator, SANGAMA) and Prof. Hasan Mansoor (President,
PUCL-K). Given below is the contents of the press note.
The authorities at the Sahar International Airport (Mumbai) have detained
6 out of 15 HIV+ people (who are HIV/AIDS activists) and quarantined them
for not possessing yellow fever vaccination certificates on 1st November
2003 at 02:00 hours. They were returning after attending the '11th International
Conference for People Living with HIV/AIDS' held in Kampala,
Uganda from 26th to 30th October, 2003. The activists belong to Kerala,
Maharashtra, West Bengal and Manipur including Mr. Vijay Nair (Udaan+,
Mumbai) and Mrs. S. C. D'Costa (ICWA, Pune). The activists, before leaving
for Uganda were advised by Govt. health authorities not to take 'Yellow
Fever Vaccine' as they have suppressed immunity, same thing was given
in
writing to some of the activists. We are attaching the copies of letters
from Kerala State AIDS Control Society and Health Services Manipur along
with this note. World Health Organization (WHO) clearly states that people
living with HIV/AIDS should not receive Yellow Fever vaccine (www.who.int/vaccines/en/yellowfever.shtml)
Dr. Prakash Gaekwad, medical officer of the immigration department at Sahar Airport refused to recognize these documents. Dr. Prakash Gaekwad also demanded a bribe of US$100 from each activist, if they wish to avoid being quarantined. The activists have refused to pay the bribe. The quarantine hospital has no facilities: no food, no doctor, no proper toilets, no proper drinking water facilities. Activists are forced to consume water and food provided by the attendant by paying money. Activists do not know where the water/food comes from and its quality. People living with HIV/AIDS needs to take proper nutritious food and good quality drinking water at regular intervals. Bad quality food/water and bad sanitation conditions can cause opportunistic infections to them. Quarantine without proper sanitation, food/water and medical care is not the right place for the People living with HIV/AIDS.
Officials from MDACS (Mumbai District AIDS Control Society), MSACS (Maharashtra
State AIDS Control Society), NACO (National AIDS Control Organization),
UNAIDS and Mr. Oscar Fernandez (M.P. and Chair Person of Parliamentary
Committee on HIV/AIDS) have assured that the activists will be moved to
a hospital with good health care facilities soon, In spite of
their assurances the activists are still detained in the quarantine hospital
in an isolated place with no facilities.
We demand to:
- Immediately move the 6 detained activists to a hospital with good
health care/nutrition facilities in Mumbai
- Immediate suspension of Dr. Prakash Gaekwad for demanding bribe and
for treating People living with HIV/AIDS unfairly, followed by a Judicial
enquiry into the issue
- Union Govt. to constitute a committee (with members from Health Ministry,
Civil Aviation Ministry, NACO, WHO, UNAIDS) to frame the procedures
to be followed travel regulation vis-à-vis People living with
HIV/AIDS and implement their recommendations in the next 30 days time
- All state governments and Union Govt. to sensitize all its ministries on HIV/AIDS issues, to address the stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS and to frame uniform norms and policies that are friendly to people living with HIV/AIDS
In Solidarity
Elavarthi Manohar
Hasan Mansoor
Abraham K. K.
For more information contact: SANGAMA, Flat 13, Royal Park Apartments,
34 Park Road, Tasker Town, Bangalore - 51,
Phone: (080) 2868121/2868161