His Excellency the Minister of Health, Dr. Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Rabeeah stated that launching the Saudi initiative to combat AIDS is a proactive and preventive process to control AIDS. Awareness and preventative programs limit the spread of this epidemic, where GCC countries are the first to do that.
During the launching ceremony, under the auspices of His Excellency, Dr. Al Rabeeah said that the percentage of AIDS infection in GCC countries is one of the lowest in the region; 2 per 1000. Furthermore, this percentage has decreased by 9% from last year in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where the percentage of AIDS transmission and infection in newborn is very low.
Dr. Al Rabeeah called upon MOH, health sectors, media and related religious or social ministries to work together and increase awareness and preventive programs, where our Islamic teachings will helps us in controlling this epidemic.
HE said that the initiative is launched due to MOH keenness to have a diseases free environment.
He reported that several international signs confirmed the growing of this epidemic, where it spread among high-risk groups which vary from one country to another, setting a challenge at the economic, health, social levels. That even affects the plans of development.
Dr. Al Rabeeah pointed out that, under the directions of our wise Leadership, MOH has focused on awareness and preventive programs. This meeting is one of MOH several programs and events to control this disease.
The Ministry has also established many voluntary counseling and testing centers for the disease in different regions of the Kingdom. That is in addition to many survey and monitoring programs, epidemic researches as well as various new treatment centers.
Moreover, HE mentioned that cooperation among GCC countries in the health field emphasizes the importance of exchanging expertise and joining efforts in order to develop various awareness and preventive programs. HE said during his speech: “We are gathered here today to discuss one of the most important diseases that affect society and individual. Our objective is to combat this epidemic through a variety of awareness and preventive and educational activities, with the participation of all health sectors and several relevant ministries and authorities such as the Ministries of Culture and Information, Education and Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance and Social Affairs, the General Presidency of Youth Welfare and other governmental, civil and charitable institutions”.
He added that due to this epidemic and its challenges we will work hard to increase awareness and prevention programs in a scientific way, benefitting from the Islamic teachings which include the best and safest methods to maintain the security and safety of the family and the community.
On the other hand, The Director-General of Executive Board of Health Ministers Council for GCC States, Dr. Tawfiq bin Ahmed Khoja, said that the infection rate of GCC countries population is the lowest among the region’s countries, where it ranges from 1.15 to 1.95 per 100 thousand people.
GCC Ministries of Health adopted a new strategy plan to combat AIDS, which covers the council resolutions and recommendations to reduce the spread of this epidemic.
Moreover, Deputy Minister Assistant for Preventative Medicine, Dr. Zyad Bin Ahmed Meemish, said that the Kingdom registered low rates of infected cases with AIDS compared with other countries. However, there are still many risk factors that lead to become infected with the disease. Incidence of AIDS has increased in some countries which raise the need to take highly effective precautions to keep our status among countries with low AIDS incidence cases.
Dr. Meemish added that, the more AIDS spread, the more preventative and curative procedures become difficult to implement and less effective. Therefore, we need detailed and updated information about the diseases and early implementation for proactive precautionary measures.
Regional Manager of Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS in the Middle East and North Africa, Hend Al Khateeb, stated that AIDS incidence cases in such areas were doubled in 2006, in comparison with 2001, and mortality rates doubled three times in 2009 compared with 2001. AL Khateeb commended the GCC efforts in providing treatment continuously to infected people, although such efforts are still limited in coverage.
On the other hand, Regional Manager of WHO in the Middle East, Dr, Hessein AL Jazaeri, pointed out that along with drug abuse by injections, people who practice unprotected sexual intercourse exist in every community, including the Middle East countries. Our gained information about such categories is limited to what we receive from local or regional news reports in regards of who have been arrested. We don’t think of them as people who subject their selves and others to AIDS virus. Such categories are difficult to reach to provide them with preventive measurement, health care services and treatment. In this case, we must seek for other suitable solutions to provide preventative measurement to such categories that are at risk of AIDS.