ABSTRACT
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, available data suggests nearly three out of ten mothers in Indonesia were successfully managing their HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) (UN AIDS 2020). These mothers were able to source required medications, and when pregnant, were able to access prevention of mother-to-child transmission services to decrease the chance of transmitting HIV to their babies. However, the COVID-19 pandemic affected the ability of mothers to access HIV care in two primary ways. First, many mothers living with HIV became fearful of going to hospital (for care or even to collect medicine) because hospitals became places where people became infected with COVID-19. Second, mothers were afraid of disclosing their HIV status when giving birth because hospitals were at capacity, and disclosing one’s HIV status, even when in labour, could mean the hospital refused treatment due to the perceived added resources needed. Knowing this possibility, some mothers living with HIV delivered their babies in hospital without disclosing their HIV status. A culture of silence pervades the intersection of HIV and COVID-19, and Indonesian society is yet to have an open discussion about the interplay between these two diseases.
This chapter explores the stories of three mothers living with HIV as they navigated Indonesia’s COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter reveals that mothers failed regardless of the path they took: if they stayed away from medical care to avoid contracting COVID-19, they knew they could die; if they tried to access care and declared their HIV status, they might have been denied care; if they accessed care and did not declare their HIV status, they could not access the HIV treatment that kept them and their children alive. In addition, the stigma attached to HIV and the reduction of HIV tests availability during the pandemic resulted in many missed opportunities to diagnose HIV among pregnant women. While HIV and COVID-19 are different diseases, the silence surrounding both results in poor health outcomes for women.
