AIDS grant memo ‘misunderstood’

GOVERNMENT has denied that it scrapped disability grants to people living with HIV-AIDS.Health Permanent Dr Kalumbi Shangula said the Government only decided to stop giving grants to HIV-positive people who can still work.

He said some HIV-positive people were placed on the disability grant simply by virtue of being infected with the virus, even if they were still working. To qualify for a grant, the level of disability must be 50 per cent and that is normally decided by a medical doctor, according to the Ministry of Health.”If an individual develops full-blown AIDS and is incapable of working, such a person would qualify for disability grant by virtue of being incapable of adequately providing for his/her own maintenance and not by virtue of being HIV positive,” Shangula said.He said doctors would determine the level of disability.Shangula sent out a circular on July 12 to all senior medical officials, stating that the Pension Act of 1992 made no provision for people living with HIV-AIDS to receive the grants.Shangula informed the officials that “any payment of these grants to people living with HIV-AIDS is illegal and must not be done”.HIV-positive people were receiving disability grants but these were meant for those who were unable to work.The AIDS Law Unit of the Legal Assistance Centre wrote back to the Health Minister, appealing to him to rescind the directive immediately.Delme Cupido, who co-ordinates the unit, said the decision would be disastrous for people living with HIV-AIDS, many of whom had no other means of income.Shangula said the ALU “misunderstood” the memo.To qualify for a grant, the level of disability must be 50 per cent and that is normally decided by a medical doctor, according to the Ministry of Health.”If an individual develops full-blown AIDS and is incapable of working, such a person would qualify for disability grant by virtue of being incapable of adequately providing for his/her own maintenance and not by virtue of being HIV positive,” Shangula said.He said doctors would determine the level of disability.Shangula sent out a circular on July 12 to all senior medical officials, stating that the Pension Act of 1992 made no provision for people living with HIV-AIDS to receive the grants.Shangula informed the officials that “any payment of these grants to people living with HIV-AIDS is illegal and must not be done”.HIV-positive people were receiving disability grants but these were meant for those who were unable to work.The AIDS Law Unit of the Legal Assistance Centre wrote back to the Health Minister, appealing to him to rescind the directive immediately.Delme Cupido, who co-ordinates the unit, said the decision would be disastrous for people living with HIV-AIDS, many of whom had no other means of income.Shangula said the ALU “misunderstood” the memo.