Thanks to Allah, the Kingdom is reckoned one of the world countries least affected by AIDS, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH), saying that it has taken many steps in the field of awareness and prevention of AIDS, through implementation of several awareness activities, such as intensifying survey programs, counseling and testing to detect incidence of HIV, in an endeavor to expand therapeutic umbrella and work for upgrading the competencies of diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities, through continuous training. In addition to expansion in counseling related to the therapeutic services; to ensure adherence to treatment, and securing latest medications.
During inauguration of the conference held on the occasion of the World AIDS Day, the MOH said that proceeding from its keenness to deliver comprehensive and integrated care at all levels, it will adopt recommendations of the conference, in order to ensure quality of services and provide them in a manner that maintains human dignity, through a health system that is based on institutions and scientific and legislative methodology which govern provision of services, including punishment of violators of these frameworks and rights. In addition to continue with building capabilities, strengthening health competencies and creating appropriate environment for the delivery of heath services, in order to ensure quality of performance and meeting satisfaction of the targeted people, as well as setting clear bases for the implementation, supervision and follow-up, on an ongoing basis, it added.
The MOH indicated that it joins the world countries and the United Nations to achieve the Millennium Development Goals related to AIDS and supports all efforts to tackle the challenges related to the issues of stigma and discrimination and dealing with the issues that negatively affect the application of appropriate and effective strategies for the elimination of HIV infection in high quality that ensure maintaining the dignity of those living with the disease and those vulnerable to it. These will go along with providing them with better health services, hoping that the conference will come out with recommendations that enhance the process of health work in the Kingdom and contribute to supporting the efforts exerted to deal with the deadly disease, it added.
It pointed out that the World AIDS Day for this year is celebrated under a theme of humanitarian connotations “Dignity above all", which meant to fight the HIV-related stigma and discrimination.
It is noteworthy that the MOH is organizing many educational and awareness activities on the occasion of the World Aids Day 2016, including awareness messages via different mass media and social media, targeting young people and the high-risk groups in particular. These activities aim at helping them to avoid AIDS through awareness and knowledge and adjusting wrong behaviors associated with transmission of the disease, in addition to answering individual inquiries in strict confidentiality via the means of communications. They also aim at providing counseling and referral, if deemed necessary and intensifying field visit by mobile vehicles for provision of HIV voluntary testing and counseling and required referrals, in accordance with a table listing the rounds.
Also, the campaign aims to emphasize that all health groups and relevant workers should provide the different types of services for those living with the disease and community members in general and acquainting them with the nature of the disease and the sufferings of HIV-positive people, including related stigma and discrimination and violation of their rights in treatment, employment, education and marriage. All these will result in their isolation and inability to benefit from preventive and therapeutic services, leading to aggravation of their health and social status, as this will further the spread of the disease.