Conference of People living with HIV & AIDS, July 1999 Warwick University

Opening Plenary

The opening plenary session was jointly chaired by, Jonathan Grimshaw and Mary Okoth. Ian Kramer, from the UK Coalition of People Living with HIV & AIDS was the last of three speakers in this session. He pointed out that we were all citizens with the same rights and responsibilities of every citizen when it comes to the NHS. Some of us were doing well on the pills, but he denied we were “past AIDS” – “past crisis, maybe!” He said that although the situation may no longer be critical, it was certainly urgent. Death rates are falling in the UK, but not so globally – there are now more folk living with HIV than ever before and the rates are still rising. “For everyone who doesn’t die, there is less for the living.”

About Social Services, Ian said that they should aim for a more flexible response to our needs. They are getting extra HIV money to enable them to do this. At present, geriatrics seem to take precedence. Ian rounded off his speech appropriately with the exhortation to: “be smart, strong and brave. Everyone who comes out as HIV+ makes it easier for the next. The more of us who are out, the more visible we become.”

Workshops

The next two days of the conference were devoted principally to a series of workshops chosen from a selection of issues ranging from “Treatments Services: Getting the Best from Our Doctors” to “Implementing Standards in Treatment Services: What Has to Change”.

Question Time

Before the Conference Dinner on Thursday there was a Question Time Debate “AIDS and HIV in the New Millennium” The panel included Neil Gerrard, chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on HIV and Aids. The debate produced some excellent speeches, pertinent questions and a bit of heckling. African issues were given a fair hearing, which seemed only right in view of the considerable number of African delegates attending the conference.

Final Plenary

The conference ended with a plenary session that produced some of the strongest speeches of the conference.

· Ruth Webb, from the UK Coalition, highlighted the absence of HIV in national education programmes, the need for a National HIV Strategy and passionately described the necessity of offering antenatal HIV tests to all pregnant women.

· Paul McGrory, chair of the National Network said: “What the government can do for us is limited. However, what we can do for ourselves is limitless.”

· The final speaker, before the arrival of Tessa Jowells, Minister of state for Public Health, was Gary Lamont, director of the London East AIDS Network & Positive People’s Forum. He gave a rousing speech in which he said that he was appalled that the minister was not present at the conference to listen but only to talk. (In fairness it has to be pointed out that when she at last arrived, Tessa Jowells did in fact listen to and answer questions from the floor). The full text of her speech will no doubt be given in the official conference report. Briefly, however, she drew attention to things the Government had achieved including White Papers like ‘Saving Lives’ and ‘New NHS’. and also she also outlined the Governments future intentions concerning HIV.. Amongst these, a revision of the AIDS Control Act and the announcement of the first draft of the long awaited National Strategy for HIV in Spring 2000.

In conclusion

As well as the useful information of speeches and the stimulating interaction within workshops, the conference also provided an opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences with a great diversity of Positive People. I very much look forward to being present at the next conference whenever that may be.