HIV/AIDS and home-based health care

Pamella A Opiyo¹ , Takashi Yamano² and TS Jayne³

¹Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), Lunzuwa Rd., P.O Box 410576, Kasama, Zambia

²The Foundation for Advanced Studies on International Development in Tokyo, Japan

³International Development, Department of Agriculture, Food, and Resource Economics, 216a Agriculture Hall Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA

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International Journal for Equity in Health 2008, 7:8doi:10.1186/1475-9276-7-8


Published:	18 March 2008

Abstract

This paper highlights the socio-economic impacts of HIV/AIDS on women. It argues that the socio-cultural beliefs that value the male and female lives differently lead to differential access to health care services. The position of women is exacerbated by their low financial base especially in the rural community where their main source of livelihood, agricultural production does not pay much. But even their active involvement in agricultural production or any other income ventures is hindered when they have to give care to the sick and bedridden friends and relatives. This in itself is a threat to household food security. The paper proposes that gender sensitive policies and programming of intervention at community level would lessen the burden on women who bear the brunt of AIDS as caregivers and livelihood generators at household level. Improvement of medical facilities and quality of services at local dispensaries is seen as feasible since they are in the rural areas. Other interventions should target freeing women's and girls' time for education and involvement in income generating ventures. Two separate data sets from Western Kenya, one being quantitative and another qualitative data have been used.