Concerted efforts urged to fight AIDS

Concerted efforts urged to fight AIDS

JAKARTA (JP): An executive of a non-governmental organization
(NGO) specializing in AIDS prevention urged the North Jakarta
mayoralty yesterday to improve its efforts to combat the Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

Adi Sasongko, chairman of the Kusuma Buana Foundation, said in
a one-day seminar on AIDS prevention in North Jakarta that
existing campaigns lacked coordination between the municipality
and NGOs.

"The absence of coordination makes it hard for both the
municipality and the NGOs to give information to high-risk
groups. The campaigns are also held only very intermittently," he
said.

Adi said better information exchanges between the municipality
and NGOs was badly needed to determine which high-risk people
required more information about AIDS.

"Seamen and truck drivers, for example, are classified as
high-risk groups in North Jakarta," he said.

According to Adi, aggressive campaigns should be targeted at
both the seamen and truck drivers at Tanjung Priok seaport in
North Jakarta.

Bambang Irawan, head of the North Jakarta Mayoralty's health
office, welcomed Adi's statement. He said the mayoralty was ready
to cooperate more closely with NGOs to disseminate AIDS
information in the area.

He said his office had cooperated with nearby hospitals
concerning information dissemination and HIV/AIDS blood tests.

"The mayoralty needs more volunteers from non-governmental
organizations to approach the seamen and drivers here," he said.

According to Bambang, NGOs have better access to seamen and
drivers.

"It is difficult to organize a suitable campaign for these
mobile people," he said.

NGO representatives present at the seminar, however, said they
frequently faced lengthy bureaucracy to obtain permits to
organize anti-AIDS campaigns in the mayoralty.

Yesterday's seminar was attended by about 100 participants
from the mayoralty, NGO representatives and medical personnel.

Data issued by the Ministry of Health last month showed that
the number of reported HIV/AIDS cases in Indonesia was 545,
including 10 new HIV cases diagnosed last month.

Four hundred and thirteen of the total are HIV carriers and
the other 132 have full-blown AIDS.

Of the 132 reported cases, 64 are in Jakarta.

Adi said people from all walks of life should be well-informed
about AIDS, its dangers and how to prevent it.

According to the data the HIV/AIDS sufferers in Indonesia come
from 17 professions, including artists, bank officers, cleaners,
hotel staff, parking attendants, seamen, private workers,
managers, university students, civil servants, teachers, military
officers, beauticians and prostitutes. (03)