Jul 15 – ERG Says It Will “Continue Dialogue” With Cortes
The Equality Rights Group Chairman, Felix Alvarez, has today responded to a statement by Minister for Health, John Cortes, on the issue of sexual health provision.
Mr Alvarez said: “It will be recalled that it was ERG which initiated discussion of the topic of sexual health with Government when, back in early 2012, as Chairman of the group, I was directly in touch with Dr. Cortes requesting to set up a dialogue on matters of mutual concern. The Minister immediately responded with interest, and it was at this point that the issue of sexual health started to be discussed.
“While not much was practically achieved during the following three and a half years of fairly regular discussions (some statistics were made public that had previously been kept hidden) much dialogue did ensue. Our members, however, were increasingly frustrated and alarmed by the lack of any obvious progress on matters under discussion. After an initial, promising start, there was little to show at that point. The GHA’s website, to date, fails to address the question of sexual health entirely, and ERG continues to receive regular complaints on the matter as a result. This needs to be corrected if the public are to give credence to claims of advances.
“We were, however, glad to see Dr. Cortes recently announcing an improvement in the service provided to HIV+ individuals. We said so at the time and we shall repeat it again: it’s a step forward.
“ERG will always remain open to discussions with the Minister in service to the people we, as a group, are obliged to support and whose interests are paramount to our human and civil rights remit. We look forward to invitations from the Minister for further discussions, taking up his own agreement on some central points: that there is still no centralized clinic, and that the Infection and Prevention Control Department, in his words, ‘is not the ideal place to attend’; and that GHA policies are evidence-led and informed by science, not by moral or religious precepts. In the latter respect, the Minister has quoted increased numbers of people being attended to on sexual health matters. This clear evidence can be read in various ways: more open publicity and discussion of sexual health by both ERG and the Minister in the past few years is starting to succeed in lifting taboos; sexual health issues are becoming more prevalent for a variety of reasons (in line with the experience of other countries); or a combination of such factors. Whichever interpretation may be correct, it is clear that ERG and the GHA must continue to work in a determined manner, overcoming their differences where they exist. We must all cooperate and collaborate to establish clear, achievable goals and deadlines in the interest of all those we are committed to serve.
“There is only one enemy between the Parties: indecisiveness and/or no evidence of progress. It is vital, therefore, that, along with the steps that have already been taken and which can only be welcomed, we aim to consolidate gains by moving on towards an agenda of eliminating taboo, fear and prejudice from what is a purely medical issue.
“Furthermore, ERG insists further: a holistic approach is a must. As part of its Connected Health project with stakeholder members of the community, Equality Rights Group will also propose to discuss a seamless, public health approach to the complex issues of drugs in the community. While not everyone with either a sexual health or substance abuse problem will necessarily require assistance on both questions, it is important to discuss the best ways to deal with overlaps where they exist. In this sense, ERG has always been concerned not only with HIV or Aids, but with the whole area of sexual and community health as it affects the old, the young, male, female, majority or minority groups in our society.
“Where the will exists to continue working for the betterment of our community, and the real delivery of practical goals, the Minister already knows he has my full commitment as ERG Chairman to continue working together, and I look forward to hearing from him at the earliest,” he ended.
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