Right to Health of Internally Displaced Persons - IDP SriLanka

7.6. Risk of HIV infections
Sri Lanka is considered as having low prevalence of HIV notably less
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than 0.1 percent (3800 persons) . The Government of Sri Lanka initiated
HIV prevention and control efforts through the National STD and AIDS
Control Program (NSACP) of the Ministry of Health in 1992.IDP
community can be considered as most-at-risk population (MARP) to
HIV and among the displaced community, especially women and
children are vulnerable to sexual abuses and such incidents are not
revealed to the world easily and most often remain as hidden crimes.
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At present there are about 81,000 Sri Lankan refugees living in India ,
and the only humanitarian package, available to them is the dry ration.
Due to their poverty, they are being forced to engage in prostitution.
During the study it was observed that those Indian refugees are coming
back into Sri Lanka through illegal ways. The problem posed here is that
the unavailability of a mechanism to test them whether they are infected
with HIV or not. However such kind of unavailability is understandable
since the migration is done by illegal ways. But re-integration of them
into the community will pose serious health risks because they
themselves may not be aware of the infection and this fact urges a
mechanism to check the infectious status at the grass root level.
7.7. Mental health of IDPs
Inheriting a civil conflict for more than 25 years the factors like loss of
loved ones, families, wealth and livelihood have caused majority of the
people in war affected area to be mentally disordered. The security
concerns and frequent threats to the life have also amplified the number
of mentally affected patients. In Puttalam, it was reported that out of 300
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patients coming for the psychiatric clinics, majority are IDPs .
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http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/
EXTSAREGTOPHEANUT/EXTSAREGTOPHIVAIDS/0,,contentMDK:20287586~
menuPK:568884~pagePK:34004173~piPK:34003707~theSitePK:496967,00.html
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http://www.refugeesinternational.org/content/article/detail/933/, as at 20.01.2004
Observed from the discussion with Dr. Fareed District Medical Officer
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