India
Clinton Foundation to train Indian nurses in AIDS care
By IANS
Feb 22, 2006, 15:58

Former US president Bill Clinton Sunday made a moving appeal to "embrace" every HIV/AIDS patient "to remove the stigma attached to the disease".

"I am making a public appeal to the Indian people. Embrace people who have HIV/AIDS. Persuade them to come forward to be tested," he said in a straight-from-the-heart address at a function here to announce a Clinton Foundation-funded plan to train Indian nurses in AIDS care.

To prove he meant business, Clinton practised what he preached before and after his address as he met HIV/AIDS patients being treated at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here.

The experience prompted him to remark: "As I looked into their eyes, I could see that they were wondering if it was embarrassing for them to be photographed with me. That's why I am making this appeal to embrace these people. They should not linger in the shadows just because they are scared to come forward and be tested.

"We have to get rid of this stigma (attached to the HIV/AIDS patients). This (HIV/AIDS) is nothing to be ashamed about. This is something that affects 40 million people around the world," he said.

The nurses training plan takes forward the memorandum of understanding the Clinton Foundation and the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) signed in September 2004 to scale up the Indian government's free antiretroviral (ARV) programme.

The training programme was most appropriate, Clinton said.

"Nurses are a critical link in the delivery of care and treatment for people living with HIV. Nurses not only deliver clinical care needed to keep people alive, but they also act as counsellors and play an important role in reducing the myths, stigma and discrimination surrounding the disease.

"I am honoured to be working with the government of India and look forward to expanding our partnership by giving a greater number of nurses the skills and knowledge they need to deliver high quality care and treatment for AIDS patients," he said.

NACO chief Sujatha Rao concurred.

"As our ARV programme expands, nurses will need additional training to meet the needs for counselling, reporting and proper referral. The efforts of NACO and the Clinton foundation will address these needs and enable the government to deliver high quality care to Indians living with HIV/AIDS."

Clinton also lauded the "aggressive approach" of the Indian government in tackling the disease, restricting the disease to less than one percent of the population.

"You have five million cases here, but as a percentage of your population, this is quite small, considering that you have less than one percent infected," he said.

Since May 2005, when Clinton last visited India on behalf of his foundation, the number of patients being treated through the government's free national AIDS programme has increased from 7,000 to over 25,000 and is targeted to reach 100,000 by 2007.

Since 2002, the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative has been assisting 20 countries in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean in implementing large-scale integrated care, treatment and prevention programmes.

Individual governments take the lead and the Foundation provides technical assistance, mobilises human and financial resources, and facilitates the sharing of best practices across projects. The Foundation also provides access to reduced prices for HIV/AIDS drugs and diagnostics in over 50 countries.

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