The Hindu : Front Page : Clinton appreciates India's efforts in checking AIDS

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 27, 2005

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Clinton appreciates India's efforts in checking AIDS

Aarti Dhar

"Lack of healthcare facilities a major barrier; the target is to treat two million people by 2008"

— Photo: V. V. Krishnan

FIGHTING AIDS: Former United States President Bill Clinton announcing his Foundation's HIV/AIDS Initiative and National AIDS Control Organisation to train 150,000 private sector doctors for care and treatment, in New Delhi on Thursday.

NEW DELHI: Appreciating the efforts of the Government and the pharmaceutical industry in tackling Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) infections, the former U.S. President, Bill Clinton, on Thursday said India could turn the situation around in the coming few years.

"You have a Government totally committed to tackle the issue with business houses and the pharmaceutical companies putting in their best,'' he said speaking a national conference on HIV/AIDS organised by the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative, National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and the India Business Trust (IBT) for AIDS.

The function was organised to mark the Foundation's initiative with NACO to train 150,000 private sector doctors in India in HIV/AIDS care and treatment over the next year. The Clinton Foundation, under a memorandum of understanding, with the Government is assisting NACO in scaling up the Government's national antiretroviral treatment programme to approximately 188 centres across the country. The Foundation partnered with India in September 2004 and the physician training is the latest in a series of ongoing joint programmes.

Lack of healthcare facilities and trained physicians are the two major barriers in providing treatment to HIV-positive patients, Mr. Clinton said adding that India was highly vulnerable to the disease because of a rapidly growing economy, the huge number of people living in packed areas and a large number involved in high risk activities. "But as I leave, I feel relieved as India has done the repairs,'' he said.

"India is basically stunning the world daily with enhanced technology and you have quite a challenge with AIDS but it is well within its country," Mr. Clinton said. "It is encouraging that India has a modest increase in the HIV infection numbers." He spoke of the pharmaceutical industry which, according to him, had championed in providing affordable drugs for the AIDS patients. "Our target is to treat two million by 2008 and if we do not act now, millions of people will die who otherwise need not because HIV is curable.''

"The Government of India is moving to address the AIDS problem in a systematic manner. In India, where an estimated 80 per cent of health care services are provided by private sector hospitals and private physicians, it is imperative that they are given the tools needed to provide standardised high quality care and treatment to those who need it,'' he said.

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