Access to Treatment and Care Associated with HIV Infection among Members of AIDS Support Groups in Thailand

To examine current treatments for persons living with HIV and AIDS (PHAs) in Thailand, we analyze data collected during 2000 from 425 members of PHA support organizations in Bangkok and three upcountry provinces. Nearly all of these respondents report symptoms related to their infection with HIV - about 12% report severe symptoms - and most (71%) report ever having received modern medical care for HIV-related symptoms. A smaller percentage (30%) report ever use of herbal treatments. Small proportions of those who had experienced severe symptoms report treatments with anti-retroviral medication; treatment for opportunistic infections; or treatment for pain. Treatment with ARV or for pain are reported by only 4% of those who had experienced severe symptoms. Only small proportions of the sample are spending substantial sums on HIV-related treatments; the government's health card system appears to play an important role in keeping treatment costs down for PHAs and their families. Being open about one's HIV status to one's community is positively associated with receiving modern treatment in multivariate analysis. Women respondents enjoy greater access to the government's health card system than the men, and are more likely to be open to their communities about their HIV-status. But multivariate models that include controls for illness severity and other potentially confounding factors indicate that women are less likely than men to receive modern treatments for HIV-related ailments. Implications of the findings are discussed.