COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS in Indonesia - A/Prof Sharyn Davies and Dr Najmah

The rapid spread of COVID-19 across Indonesia has put the country’s nascent healthcare system under tremendous pressure, leading to a de facto hierarchy of care, with the treatment of some illnesses being prioritised over others. In a context of rising populism and social pressure over sexual practices, the social isolation policies rolled out have exacerbated the challenges encountered by people with HIV/AIDS across the archipelago. Associate Professor Sharyn Davies and Dr Najmah met up with Dr Natali Pearson over Zoom, to discuss the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on healthcare in Indonesia, with a focus on the LGBTIQ community and people living with HIV/AIDS. About Sharyn Davies: Sharyn is recognised internationally as an expert in the field of Indonesian Studies and for her contributions on policing in Indonesia, police corruption, social media, surveillance, gender and sexuality. Her outstanding contributions to education and research have earned Sharyn acclaim including her co-edited book Sex and Sexualities in Contemporary Indonesia, which won the Ruth Benedict Prize for outstanding edited collection awarded by the American Anthropology Association (2015) and the International Convention of Asian Scholars award (2017). She is currently Associate Professor in the School of Social Sciences and Public Policy Research at Auckland University of Technology (AUT). From July 2020, Sharyn will be joining Monash University as Associate Professor of Indonesian Studies and Director of the Monash Herb Feith Indonesian Engagement Centre. You can follow Sharyn on Twitter @sharyndavies. About Najmah: Najmah is a lecturer in the Public Health Faculty of Sriwijaya University, South Sumatra, Indonesia. Najmah was awarded a prestigious New Zealand Scholarship for her doctoral studies and graduated from Auckland University of Technology in 2020. She completed her PhD under the supervision of Dr Sari Andajani and Associate Professor Sharyn Davies, whilst looking after her three toddlers. Najmah also has degrees from the University of Melbourne, where she studied with an AusAID Partnership Scholarship, and Sriwijaya University. Najmah is the author of four books of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. She is currently writing her fifth book with her supervisor in qualitative approach and enthusiasm in Feminist and Participatory Action Research. View the transcript at: https://bit.ly/2WbcHft