The Hindu : New Delhi News : AIDS/HIV programme impresses Annan's wife

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 29, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

AIDS/HIV programme impresses Annan's wife

Staff Reporter

Lajpat Nagar centre was handpicked for visit

GREAT JOB: Nane Annan, wife of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (right), shares a light moment with a police woman during an interaction with officers who had undergone AIDS awareness training in New Delhi on Wednesday.

NEW DELHI: It was diplomacy of a different kind. Nane Annan, wife of the United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, took time out on Wednesday to visit Delhi's model police station at Lajpat Nagar to "participate" in an educational HIV/AIDS programme being run for police personnel by the Delhi AIDS Control Society.

While the programme itself has been applauded by policy makers -- having already reached out to over 12,000 police personnel in the Capital in its first phase -- it got a "booster dose" with the visiting dignitary choosing this project to associate herself with during this trip.

The programme, selected from a list of initiatives undertaken by the Delhi AIDS Control Society, had been "hand-picked" by the United Nations office here in co-ordination with the "personal priority'' of the visiting lady.

Lawyer, painter and the author of a book for children, Nane was so impressed with the response of the police personnel that she overstayed her 10-minute visit and spent nearly 90 minutes interacting with the police personnel and health officials assimilating and asking questions about how the programme had benefited them.

During her interaction with "student policemen" taking the refresher AIDS awareness programme, Nane asked them about why they chose to take the educational capsule, how it was helping them in better and more sensitive policing, and also expressed her pleasant surprise at the large number of women who were part of the programme.

"We spoke to her about the need for continuing the programme for the policemen as they are part of the highly vulnerable group which is constantly in touch which `sensitive' groups including drug users, sex workers, street children and others. We also updated her about the training given to policemen on how to handle accident victims when there is bleeding, this in view of the unknown HIV status of the victim. She was impressed with the work and its impact," explained an official at the Delhi AIDS Control Society, Peeyush Jain.

Another plus that came with the visit was the unofficial green signal given to the Delhi AIDS Control Society to work towards setting up condom vending machines in all police stations across the Capital.

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