Refresh advocacy for HIV/AIDS, mainstream awareness for employing people living with disability this December : PRmoment Health Communications Review

 30th November 2022    Health Comms Review 
 Paarul Chand

PRmoment's weekly 'Healthcare Communications Review' column looks at the biggest healthcare trends every week and analyses the communications implications. In partnership with SPAG, A Finn Partners Company.

December marks two key dates for the public health and wellness sectors. December 1st is World AIDS Day and 3rd December is the International Day of People Living with Disability.

Both are at different places in their advocacy and communication cycle. Both are mainstream issues but solutions are not that readily available for one and is for the latter. Let's take a look at how the two days differ and what kind of communication approach is needed for both.

Overview 

World AIDS Day 

World AIDS Day is the culmination of a decades-long campaign with global stars such as the late Princess Diana, movies such as Philadelphia, and 'Dallas Buyers Club' helping to highlight the cause and helping drive research dollars that led to the development of the crucial antiretroviral medicines that have saved millions of lives worldwide.

International Day of People Living with Disability.

Disability by contrast is extremely diverse and there is no one solution fits all approach that can work. As society becomes technologically advanced greater focus is needed to support people living with disability to be able to make use of this to enter areas of employment previously denied to them This is why the UN's 2022 theme of "Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world“, is extremely relevant. One of the focus areas is Innovation for disability-inclusive development in employment (SDG8).

The Workplace is one area where progress can be made in a more inclusive place for people living with a disability.

What does this mean for communicators?

1) Advocacy for HIV/AIDs is very well developed with crucial funds on a national and international basis being allocated for innovation, treatment access and awareness. 

However, the rise of COVID has reduced attention to TB, a leading cause of co-infection and death for people living with HIV/AIDS. MDR and XDR, reducing stigma, and adherence to treatment all still require a concentrated advocacy effort. HIV/AIDS is still incurable, though completely treatable. Experts say there is an urgent need to bring AIDS back on the agenda.

2) India has made considerable strides in policy-making for disabilities with the  'Rights of Person with Disabilities Act, of 2016.' Awareness about rights needs greater attention. A concerted effort targeted at potential employers is also needed in keeping with the theme of 2022. In a way mainstream communication is just about starting out with the rising importance of purpose, DeI under the ESG umbrella becoming a political agenda as well that influences the raising of capital. This means that there is currently space to push awareness about people living with a disability and their inclusion in the workplace.

In Other News

1) Measles outbreak in Maharashtra prompts urgent vaccine drive in Pune. 

2) At least 30 inmates in Luskar jail, Greater Noida are HIV positive.

1) Decentralising clinical trials can boost research in India writes Edwin Ng, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific, for Medidata, a Dassault Systèmes company

Useful Resources

1) Check this for research, tools and reports for help in your advocacy campaigns for the International Day of People Living with Disability.

That's it for this week. Special thanks to SPAG, a FINN Partner company for their ongoing support for this weekly column.

News for the column curated by Impact Research and Measurement