Aussie funds fight against HIV/AIDS

JAKARTA: The Australian government handed over on Friday a five-year grant amounting to Rp 153 billion (US$16.9 million) to the Indonesian government to finance a program to combat HIV/AIDS.

After receiving the grant from Australian Ambassador Richard Smith, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla said the government had already provided Rp 5 billion to cover the operational cost of the program, which is being run by the National Commission for HIV/AIDS Control.

Kalla, who chairs the commission, added that the grant money would first go to Bali, South Sulawesi and East Nusa Tenggara. Other provinces, including Jakarta, West Java, Irian Jaya, Banten and Central Java would have their turn the following year.

The national program is designed to highlight the dangers of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) which attacks the immune system, exposing the patient to various diseases, a condition known as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

The national commission -- which involves the ministries of health, religious affairs, social affairs and national education plus the family planning board -- will also use the grant for providing treatment for HIV/AIDS patients and to finance the volunteers who provide counselling for people living with HIV/AIDS and their families.

As of June 2002, the ministry of health recorded 2,198 people with HIV and another 752 with full blown AIDS nationwide. The data reveals that 306 people have died of AIDS and that 69.6 percent of the total people with AIDS are aged between 20 and 29 years old. -- Antara