Today, HIV/AIDS care and treatment are not accessible in any of the developing countries. And yet, certain poor practices in prefectures still lead to HIV-positive foreigners being expelled towards these countries, thus putting their lives in danger. When they manage to stay in France, they are generally faced with a major obstacle course. Totally arbitrarily, certain prefectures wrongly issue provisional residence authorisations (APS) instead of the proper residence permit. Most of these APS are valid for three to six months and do not come with a work permit. By toughening the overall conditions for residence, work and family grouping, the new law on immigration and integration reinforces the climate of excessive security and repression that weighs on foreigners. Access to State Medical Aid (AME), intended for foreigners whose residence papers are not in order, who are excluded from the so-called “Universal Health Cover” (CMU), has been considerably restricted.
The increasingly precarious status of foreigners does not just have individual consequences; it also has an impact in terms of public health. Very often, the living conditions of HIV-positive foreigners are incompatible with the provision of quality global treatment. Those who do not have the resources to find accommodation and gather their families round them are also deprived of a emotional support that is very important in fighting against the disease and keeping up the treatment. Those who are living in the most insecure conditions, especially foreigners whose papers are not in order, are not screened for HIV and are not offered early medical and psycho-social care, which is vital to the treatment of the disease and to teaching preventive behaviour.
Demands:
- Replace State Medical Aid with Universal Health Cover (CMU) for any person living in insecure conditions in France, including foreigners whose residence papers are not in order.
- Respect the right to residence and work for HIV-positive people from developing countries.
- A public commitment to put an end to arbitrary decisions in prefectures concerning residence procedures.
