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| for and by young people with HIV |
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support When you first hear that you are HIV positive, that can be a heavy blow. There may be a lot of questions running through your head. What kind of impact is this going to have on my life? How long am I still going to be able to live in good health? How are people going to react if they find out? Who can I tell? Having contact with other young people with HIV can be nice: to talk about living with HIV, but also to be in a situation where you have the feeling that you don't have so much to explain.
If you do not have a residence permit, you may need support in terms of getting access to care.
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support after the diagnosis For most people, it is a huge challenge to come to terms with this diagnosis and to give it a place in their day-to-day lives. It is important to deal with it at your own pace and to give yourself plenty of time for doing that. People tend to react in very different ways after hearing that they are HIV positive. It could be that you simply don't want to think about the possible consequences at first. You would rather just continue living your life as if nothing has changed. This is a normal reaction if you have received such bad news. It could also be that you will take direct action to find out more about HIV and living with HIV. You might start thinking about the possible consequences it could have in terms of how you live your life, and you might look for support. Everyone is faced with questions about the medical aspects. It can help to talk about your diagnosis and any feelings and questions that concern you with someone you can confide in. Who that might be can vary from person to person. It could be your partner, your doctor, a good friend, or your medical social worker. At the AIDS Reference Centres in Belgium or the HIV Treatment Centres in the Netherlands, they can also help you notify your partner(s), if you should want that. They can also help you contact any ex-partners, who may well be HIV positive, just like you, but without knowing it, so that they can get themselves tested too. Obviously that would be done anonymously.
You can also look for contact with other people who are HIV positive. Some, like you, have only recently heard that they are HIV positive. Others have already been living with the virus for years and have learned to give it a place in their lives. Other people experience very many of the same feelings, thoughts and anxieties in the same way. Recognising this common experience can be a source of extra strength for you in coming to terms with your HIV.
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David, 26 years Four years ago we went to see the doctor together. We didn't go for an HIV-test, but decided to have one done do afterall. We always practiced safe sex in our relationship, but it looked to us like a good idea to have a check-up. Thus we both had our blood drawn to see if all was well. One week later we both cheerfully returned, albeit a little nervous. The doctor said to me, "You have a problem, you are sero-positive." We sat there together to hear what we both received. And there we both cried together. Luckily we were well-counselled by the doctor.
Read another personal story: |
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support and contact with other people with HIV
The Netherlands
Belgium - Flanders
Belgium - the Walloon provinces
If you are a migrant or refugee in the Walloon provinces, you can turn to Siréas, Le Service International de Recherche, d'Education et d'Action Sociale asbl. You can find more information (in French) on: sireas.be/prevention_sida.
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support in getting access to healthcare
The Netherlands Family doctors and others who provide primary care to people who have no legal status can appeal to the Koppelingsfonds (Health Financial Safety Net), a fund administered by Stichting Koppeling. Individuals (illegal aliens) do not have access to this fund themselves.
All hospital budgets contain an item called 'irrecoverable debts' or 'poor credit risks'. Any expenses that a hospital runs up for helping those who are illegal or uninsured are booked under this item. The client can obtain any prescribed HIV medication through a special form delivered by the pharmacist. The pharmacists, in turn, will be reimbursed through the Koppelingsfonds.
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applying for a residence permit
The Netherlands For information about access to healthcare for people with HIV who are living in the Netherlands, you can turn to the Servicepunt of Hiv Vereniging Nederland, telephone number: +31(0)20 689 2577.
Belgium
If the asylum seeker is living in a reception centre, this centre must arrange for a consultation with a doctor and bear the costs. If the asylum seeker is living outside of the assigned reception centre, he or she will in principle need to contact the reception centre in advance.
asylum seekers who requested asylum before
3 January 2001 The Royal Decree concerning the provision of urgent medical care to illegal aliens (12.12.1996) was issued at the instigation of Colla (who was the Minister of Public Health and Pensions at the time), supplemental to the organic law for OCMWs (8.07.1976). Urgent medical care is understood to be: 'care of an exclusively medical character, the urgency of which must be demonstrated by means of a medical certificate; this care can be given both to ambulant patients as well as to those in a nursing facility; the urgent medical care provided can include both preventive and curative care.' Only a doctor can assess the urgent character of medical care. 'Urgent' also includes any medical care that is necessary for preventing medical situations that are dangerous for the person in question or for those around him or her. The medical costs are carried by the state by way of the OCMWs. The proof required for that purpose is a medical certificate that states the urgency of the care provided. The addition of the words 'urgent medical care' on the certificate for the help given is considered sufficient proof.
For specific information about a particular case, you are advised to contact an OCMW or Medimmigrant. |
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anonymous When I came to Belgium from Burundi I came to live with a Belgian. I came on a short-term visa. That was a little less than three and a half years ago and I didn't know yet that I was HIV-positive. We (my boyfriend and I) had tried everything to lengthen my stay in Belgium. While waiting for the determination on my status, we took an HIV test. A fortnight later, the doctor informed my boyfriend that I was positive and that he was negative. Happily he stood by my side. At the end of the month my request to lengthen my stay was rejected. I had to return to my country and to apply for a long term visa. We addressed the issue of my health but still my application was denied. I was informed that I should seek medical care in the country of my origin through the help of aid organisations. What they didn't realise, is that when one is informed of such news one really needs some moral support. My boyfriend has accepted it as no one else has. In my country, before I knew I was HIV positive, I had a negative view of HIV positive people and AIDS patients.  |
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