Decent Care: Towards a New Ethic in the Provision of Care

While concepts like universal access are vital in the global campaign against HIV, they do not consistently engage people living with HIV (PLHIV) as active participants in the campaign. “Decent care,” however, will help facilitate dialogues between PLHIV and the organizations/agencies that provide care and support services. Decent care points to the provision of holistic care for an individual, in which the care the individual receives not only meets the individual's needs and expectations but also respects her or his dignity. The primary objective of decent care is to delineate a new concept within the taxonomy and politics of HIV care that repositions the individual as the focal point of the care cycle and emphasizes not only what type or kind of care individuals receive, but how that care is received. In 2006, the WHO convened a Global Consultation on Decent Care to engage different stakeholder communities in inter-ethical dialogues on achieving a comprehensive understanding of decent care. The Consultation resulted in the identification of core values (e.g., solidarity, equity, dignity, agency), contextual issues, operational parameters, and goals for the development of decent care. Rather than working towards universal agreement on a common understanding of decent care, the general taxonomy of decent care provides a shared space for all the diverse perspectives to work within, a common ground to work from, and a common goal to work towards. Decent care is a developing concept that will require much work to realize in policy, practices, laws, and most essentially as culture.