On November 27, 2006, the World Health Organization and UNAIDS circulated a draft guidance on routine provider-initiated HIV testing and counseling (PITC) at health care facilities. Human Rights Watch responded to the draft guidance with these comments. While scaled up HIV testing opportunities is both a human rights and public health imperative, testing should not be an end in itself. It should be a vehicle to ensure that those tested adopt risk behavior changes that protect them and others from attracting the virus.
We thank you for opportunity to comment on the draft guidance on provider-initiation testing and counseling in health facilities. As you know, we attach great importance to testing policies and practices and their human rights implications. Please find attached our comments on the draft guidance.
Sincerely,
Joe Amon, PhD, MSPH
Director, HIV/AIDS Program
Human Rights Watch
350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor
NY, NY 10118
212-216-1286
amonj@hrw.org
