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esponsible for their families. As mentioned, some are involved with the work at theNGO they patronize. Indeed, most male participants, except those still using drugs,could cite their CD4 counts, indicating regular healthcare monitoring. These are thepositive outcomes of involvement with their respective NGOs. In this regard, it emergedthat more men than women are conscious of their CD4 count.On the other hand, more women than men said that they have changed their diet; inparticular, they try to eat more vegetables. Vitamin supplements were prescribed bydoctors for some of the participants but the consumption of traditional medicine was notcommon. A few mentioned hearing about traditional or herbal cures, but these wereexpensive and not easily available. Only one DU man said he had tried one herbalremedy for three months but it did not help him. Only one woman drank water blessedby a spiritual healer. None of the refugees took or even knew of traditional medicines.With regards to healthcare, all the participants have access to affordable medical carethrough public hospitals. Clearly, this access is facilitated by the NGOs with which theyare affiliated and, for those who receive it, by the caring attitude of their healthcareproviders. This includes refugees, all of whom receive regular healthcare checksfacilitated by UNHCR. The exceptions are active drug users, who include a few of thewomen sex workers. They go to hospital or the NGO drop-in centre for treatment onlywhen they are sick. In fact, at the time of one FGD with sex workers in Kuala Lumpur,one had severe oedema on her legs but had not sought medical attention for it. As theyexplained, a drug dependent’s primary concern in life is getting money and/or drugs fortheir next fix. This singular overwhelming impulse casts aside any concerns about HIV,its impact on their own health, or that of their families, and in the case of sex workers, oftheir clients.An important aspect of the national response to HIV in preventive action is promotingcondom use. It was heartening to find that all the participants are aware of the need touse condoms every time to prevent transmission. In regards to practice, however, moremen gave assurances that they used condoms every time but not the women in this study.Women, who were married, said that their HIV-positive husband only sometimes usecondoms during sex. Sexual frequency, however, has declined for most of them. Onewoman, who remarried an uninfected man after her HIV-infected husband died, said hernew spouse only started using condoms after she gave birth to their first baby. He did notuse condoms despite their agreement to do so before marriage and medical advice. Hisdesire for a child as the reason became apparent to her only after her pregnancy. In otherwords, there was no communication between them on the matter. Both husband andbaby remain uninfected at the time of the FGD.All of the sex workers are aware of the need to use condoms. Indeed, some sex workersexpressed concern about infecting their clients and causing them the suffering they havegone through. Some even claim to tell their clients they are HIV-positive. However, allmaintain that it is their clients who refuse. A majority - “…in 100, maybe five will agreeto use” - of their clients prefer not to use condoms. When sex workers suggest condoms,they say their clients question whether are sick. Obviously, to avoid losing their clients, asex worker will not admit to having any STI, let alone HIV. Continuing to work is evenmore imperative for sex workers who are drug or alcohol dependent. It should be notedthat all of the sex workers in this study were introduced to drugs by their boyfriend orhusband.127