Dial 530-3000 for advice on AIDS
Dial 530-3000 for advice on AIDS
JAKARTA (JP): Anti-AIDS campaigners launched yesterday a new
hotline to provide the public with information on Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndrome, its mode of transmission and efforts to
prevent it.
Martina Widjaja of the Indonesian AIDS Foundation, a non-
governmental organization on AIDS which was founded by many
public figures, announced yesterday that the new hotline will
start tomorrow.
The hotline, on 530-3000, is jointly provided by the
foundation, and the West Jakarta office of PT Telkom, the state-
owned telephone company. Five skilled volunteers, trained by
leading psychologist Sarlito Wirawan Sarwono, will be ready to
answer queries about the rapidly spreading disease between 10 am
and 3pm every day.
"Everybody is entitled to accurate information on how to
protect themselves and other people from being infected with HIV
and AIDS," Martina said. HIV is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus
which almost always leads to the disease.
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare's assistant Suyono
Yahya, Director General of Communicable Disease Control and
Environmental Health of the Health Ministry Hadi Abednego, and
former Health Minister Adhyatma were present at the inauguration
of the hotline.
The hotline is one of several established over the past few
years by the government and non-governmental organizations. The
first was established by the AIDS Study Group of Cipto
Mangunkusumo Hospital in 1992 in Jakarta.
Other hotlines include the AIDS and HIV Information and
Consultancy Service by the National Family Planning Board and
Telkom in Jakarta, Hotline Surya in Surabaya, Hotline AIDS Mitra
Indonesia in Jakarta, Yayasan Sidikara in Bandung, Yayasan Citra
Usadha Indonesia in Denpasar, Lentera PKBI in Yogyakarta, and
Hotline AIDS PUS-Triple M in Ujungpandang.
Unlike the other hotlines, however, the new Indonesian AIDS
Foundation does not provide 24-hour pre-recorded message with
general information about the syndrome and the virus. All queries
will be handled personally by the volunteers.
Djunijanto of the foundation pointed out that providing pre-
recorded messages might be counterproductive. "Many people, after
hearing the recording, might then feel that they know enough
already...this could lead to misunderstandings about AIDS," he
told The Jakarta Post.
The official figure of people with AIDS currently stands at
95, 59 of whom have already died. 295 people are HIV-positive.
Jakarta still tops the list with 137 people with AIDS or HIV
infections, Irian Jaya is second with 102, Bali and East Java
each have 33, and Riau has 29 people with AIDS or HIV. (31)