Proud moments to share
Looking back on his work of the past almost 3 decades, Dr McDermott's almost 3 decades long involvement with HIV/AIDS is replete with many ups and downs. He particularly remembers two of his many rewarding moments. "When I started working in this field nobody wanted to talk about the disease. At that time nobody in USA really cared about HIV/AIDS as it was considered a gay man's disease. But outside of USA, it was mostly the heterosexuals who were getting the disease. So I launched the Congressional HIV/AIDS task force in 1992. I also organised a big conference in Washington DC in 1992 and brought people from different parts of the world. I was proud to have brought the problem to Washington DC and raise the level of awareness of the American government. It took a lot of education for Americans to see the magnitude of the disease and what was happening in the rest of the world."
Another feather in his cap was initiating a free housing programme for people living with HIV (PLHIV). "In the earlier days (and even now) very often PLHIV lose their job, and lose their family. So their immediate need is a house to live in. In 1989, I started a big programme called housing opportunities for persons with AIDS (HOPWA), which is still going on 28 years later. Under this law free housing is given to PLHIV. These are just some small things which make me feel proud."
Learnings to share
Dr McDermott has some sound piece of advice for the politician and for the physician (as he is both of them). "As a politician one has the opportunity to do many things for the good of the people, even if it does not make one popular. Talking about HIV/AIDS does not make one popular, but it needs to be done. And if politicians are serious about taking care of the people, they need to talk about some uncomfortable truths too. HIV/AIDS is one of them. Money spent on this issue is money well spent. It is better to pay now and treat them upfront rather than wait till they get very sick and their medical problems multiply--this way we will be spending much more. We have to educate people and politicians need to be willing to do that."
"Educating the general physician is equally important. I have seen many physicians in South Africa and in India not wanting PLHIV patients in their clinics and sending them to an HIV/AIDS clinic. Any healthcare setting with the name of HIV/AIDS is stigmatising. Doctors should be treating all diseases-- diabetes, high blood pressure, and HIV-- all in the same clinic. And getting doctors to do that is not easy. The first line of defence for AIDS should be the general practitioner's clinic. This is not easy but necessary. Integrated care is important. HIV/AIDS is not a sin or a crime but a disease. A doctor's job is to take care of the patients who come to the clinic and not punish them," he said.
(Note: Dr McDermott recently relaunched the task force as the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus with the Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Republican Congressman Trent Franks, getting bipartisan support for the group)
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