Paying to Normalize Life: Monetary and Psychosocial Costs of Realizing a Normal Life in the Context of Free Antiretroviral Therapy Services in Uganda.
J Int Assoc Provid AIDS Care
; 18: 2325958219859654, 2019.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31266380
ABSTRACT
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is considered the treatment that enables people living with HIV (PLHIV) to lead a "normal life". In spite of the availability of free treatment, patients in resource-poor settings may continue to incur additional costs to realize a normal and full life. This article describes the monetary expenses and psychosocial distress people on free ART bear to live normally. We conducted in-depth interviews with 50 PLHIV on ART. We found that the demands of treatment, poverty, stigma, and health-system constraints interplay to necessitate that PLHIV bear continuous monetary and psychosocial costs to realize local values that define normal life. In the context, access to free medicines is not sufficient to enable PLHIV in resource-poor settings to normalize life. Policy makers and providers should consider proactively complementing free ART with mechanisms that empower PLHIV economically, enhance their problem-solving capacities, and provide an enabling environment if the objective of normalizing life is to be achieved.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Estrés Psicológico
/
Infecciones por VIH
/
Antirretrovirales
/
Estilo de Vida
Tipo de estudio:
Health_economic_evaluation
/
Qualitative_research
Límite:
Adult
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Female
/
Humans
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Male
/
Middle aged
País/Región como asunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Int Assoc Provid AIDS Care
Año:
2019
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Uganda