Dennie Quill, Contributor

Why would hotels object to installing condom dispensers on their properties? It was revealed earlier this week that only a "small number of hotels" had installed these machines as part of a pilot project launched in 2004 by the Ministry of Health and the Jamaica Tourist Board to promote safe sex and stem the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Head of epidemiology and AIDS at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Peter Figueroa, disclosed earlier this week that since the launch, only a small number of hotels had installed the dispensers. This lack of support for such a crucial initiative has important implications for the country's HIV-prevention programme.

The promotion of condom use is becoming increasingly urgent owing to the rapid spread of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV/AIDS is among the top 10 causes of death worldwide. There is clear evidence that condoms are the best protection available against the transmission of HIV. It is therefore a key component of any prevention strategy when undertaken with a campaign to effect changes in sexual behaviour and attitudes such as delayed initiation, partner reduction and abstinence.

Moral issue

So is it a moral issue with these hotels? Could they be inhibited by the cost factor? What is preventing them from cooperating in this effort? There was no explanation given for the resistance to condom dispensers in hotels, however, HIV/AIDS is a public health issue because scarce health care resources have to be dedicated to the treatment and care of victims to the detriment of others. Every country is now implementing rigorous programmes to arrest the spread of this killer disease. Health officials recognise that making condoms accessible and promoting their usage will help to save lives.

I have come across one example from China where drastic measures have been introduced to impose fines or shut down entertainment venues if they failed to provide condoms for their patrons. They have even gone further to threaten to arrest commercial sex workers and their clients if they do not use condoms. A bit severe, one may say, but this pioneering move in a south-west China municipality is being applied to all entertainment places such as hotels, massage parlours and karaoke halls. The Disease Control and Prevention Centre of Chongqing is reporting encouraging results from this project. Recently, there has been a mushrooming of massage parlours in Jamaica. Are they included in any sex education campaign?

People are more likely to use condoms when they think others do, too. But, it is important to make them conveniently accessible - in bathrooms, hotel rooms etc. Many people I know would not go into a pharmacy and buy condoms, some women feel condoms, are associated with "bad girls" or "promiscuous maniacs" but they would gladly pop a few cents in a vending machine and discreetly secure condoms.

Reconsider their policy

With the influx of pleasure seekers expected on our shores for Cricket World Cup 2007, it is important that these hotels reconsider their policy. They should now decide to make condoms available everywhere on their properties.

It was interesting to hear Dr. Figueroa say that the general HIV/AIDS education campaign that the ministry had undertaken throughout the year had helped the country to prepare for Cricket World Cup. I trust that this education effort is not lost on the cricketers themselves.

I recall hearing about the dilemma of a Jamaican cricketer who had contracted a sexually transmitted disease (STD) while on tour. His condition soon became known to everyone in the camp, and when he was asked why he had not used a condom, he replied, "It was a white woman."