By ROMULUS MASIU
A Bougainville parliamentarian has called on the Autonomous Bougainville Government to pass a law on compulsory counselling and testing (CCT) for all Bougainvilleans to monitor the rate of HIV/AIDS in the region.
Member for Baubake in South Bougainville Thomas Lugabai yesterday said a piece of legislation from ABG on CCT is a must to compel Bougainvilleas regardless of sex or status to submit themselves to CCT.
“We want an AIDS- free Bougainville because an effective Autonomous Bougainville Region depends on a healthy population to work in the formal and informal sector,” Mr Lugabai added.
He made these remarks at the closing of a four-day ABG leadership intensive training on HIV/AIDS in Buka last week.
The training workshop was facilitated by the national AIDS Council Secretariat (NACS)/NAIDS in collaboration with ABAC and Bougainville Parliamentary select committee on HIV/AIDS.
The anticipated outcome of the trainings tasked leaders together with key stakeholders to facilitate their advocacy meetings at their constituencies to help combat the rising number of HIV cases in the region.
While commending the ABG for the initiative in engaging leaders training on HIV/AIDS, Mr Lugabai stressed that HIV/AIDS is a killer disease and leaders were informed and equipped with such trainings to educate the people in their communities.
Some members of the House of Representatives have already undertaken CCT, paving the way for the people in the constituencies to follow suit.