AIDS spread alarms Rudd
By HARLYNE JOKU AND ZACHARY PER
AUSTRALIAN prime minister Kevin Rudd is worried about the spread of AIDS in PNG, and has committed more funds to fight it.
He described the rapid AIDS spread as alarming, and suggested that campaign and awareness methods be radically changed to drive the message home to the people, especially those in villages and remote areas where HIV/AIDS presents the biggest threat.
Speaking at the PNG-Australia Business Council breakfast in Port Moresby, Mr Rudd said AusAID projections for HIV/AIDS infection rates in PNG to 2025 were alarming.
There are currently between 40,000 and 60,000 people with HIV/AIDS. AusAID projects that with a business-as-usual response, this will result in half a million cases by 2025. With a strengthened response, the result will be 350,000 cases, and with a heightened response through education, prevention and management, the result will be 220,000 by 2025.
Mr Rudd said the Australian government will commit A$13 million (K35.4 million) in programmes towards assisting non-government organisations (NGOs) working right across PNG with people affected by HIV/AIDS.
NGOs working in this field who will receive support include Save the Children, Anglicare and World Vision.
Mr Rudd also announced an increase of overall aid funding to PNG by up to A$25 million (K70 million) in 2008-09.
He said this funding will go to education, health and law and justice support and incentive-based payments.
These new funds will be targeted at upgrading schools, doing more in the fight against malaria, and doing more to maintain and upgrade key roads.
In Goroka, Mr Rudd told researchers and staff at the Goroka Medical Research Institute that the increasing HIV/AIDS figures were disturbing and that PNG institutions and relevant authorities must work together to fight the spread of the disease.
He said institutions such as PNGIMR and the Goroka Base Hospital were important because they would assist in improving the health of the people and curing diseases like malaria, pneumonia and HIV/AIDS.
Mr Rudd met SciPNG Country programme director Mr Manish Jain and directors of AT Project in Goroka Mr Steve Layton and his wife Miriam Layton.
Mr Jain told Mr Rudd that 11,000 children in PNG were infected with HIV/AIDS and 80% of the children in PNG have no access to quality education.
During a dialogue with Eastern Highlands provincial administration and politicians, Mr Rudd said Australia would assist in intensive radio campaign against HIV/AIDS epidemic into rural Papua New Guinean communities.
Mr Rudd was keen to know how information on HIV/AIDS was communicated to the masses.
He said in the 1990s in Australia, there was a massive radio awareness campaign against HIV/AIDS which was very effective.
Eastern Highlands Governor Malcom Kela-Smith said radio reached the wider section of the community, although language would be the big challenge.
He suggested that HIV/AIDS teams go into rural communities with electronic equipments like Videos, DVDs, CDs and pamphlets to promote HIV/AIDS awareness.
But Mr Kela-Smith said language barrier was one of the major obstacles as there are over 800 different languages in the country.
Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Sam Abal said that in the Highlands region, it was important to be mobile in carrying out HIV/AIDS awareness.
He said all the districts needed capacity-building and they needed to be supported.
Ungai-Bena MP and Environment and Conservation Minister Benny Allan pointed out to Mr Rudd that AusAID money did not trickle down to the rural people – the ones that aid money targets.
He said bureaucratic red tape and politics in Waigani hindered the smooth administration of the money.
“We want AusAID money and programmes to trickle down to the district level so that we could do a lot more to fight HIV/AIDS,” Mr Allan said.
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