Clinton Foundation aims to treat two million people with HIV in India by 2008

Former United States President Bill Clinton announced in India this week that his Foundation plans to train 150,000 private sector doctors for care and treatment.

Clinton said he applauded the efforts of the Indian Government and the pharmaceutical industry in tackling HIV infections, and believes India could turn the situation around in the coming few years.

Speaking at a national conference on HIV/AIDS organised by the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative, National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and the India Business Trust (IBT) for AIDS, he said India's government was totally committed to tackling the AIDS issue with business houses and the pharmaceutical companies doing their best to support.

The function was organised to mark the Foundation's initiative with NACO to train 150,000 private sector doctors in India in HIV/AIDS care and treatment over the next year.

The Clinton Foundation, in an understanding with the Government, is assisting NACO in scaling up the Government's national antiretroviral treatment programme to approximately 188 centres across the country.

The Foundation partnered with India in September 2004 and the physician training is the latest in a series of ongoing joint programmes.

Mr. Clinton says a lack of healthcare facilities and trained physicians are the two major barriers in providing treatment to HIV-positive patients, and that India was highly vulnerable to the disease because of a rapidly growing economy, the huge number of people living in packed areas and a large number involved in high risk activities. He says he is relieved India has 'done the repairs'.

Clinton said the world was astounded at the speed of India's enhanced technology, and though AIDS was quite a challenge it is well within India's ability to conquer it. He is encouraged that India has a modest increase in the HIV infection numbers and praised the pharmaceutical industry which, had led the way in providing affordable drugs for AIDS patients.

He says his foundation has a target to treat two million by 2008 and if action is not taken now, millions of people will die needlessly because HIV is curable.

According to Clinton the Indian Government is moving to address the AIDS problem in a systematic manner, and as an estimated 80 per cent of health care services are provided by private sector hospitals and private physicians, it is imperative that they are given the tools needed to provide standardised high quality care and treatment to those who need it.