PNG-Indons to combat AIDS in border areas
By JUNITA SOL GOMA
The Papua provincial AIDS commission (PPAC) of Indonesia has sought an understanding with the Papua New Guinea National AIDS Council (PNGNAC) to work together to combat the spread of the disease along the common borders.
A team of officers has arrived in Port Moresby to hold talks with PNGNAC and share experiences and ideas in the campaign against HIV\AIDS.
Chairman for PPAC Pangeran Silvanus Ukung said HIV\AIDS is now a bigger problem along the border areas and need Indonesia and PNG to cooporate.
He said their way of dealing with the disease was different from us, in the sense that their country treated HIV\AIDS as a health problem, while we in PNG see it as a development problem that is affecting the country as a whole.
Mr Ukung raised concerns that their province had up to 3,900 people entering it in a month and the virus is spreading like a bushfire.
The PNGNAC’s acting director Romanus Pakure said this meeting is for the two groups to form an understanding to work together.
“The PPAC has done a concept on the strategies on how to combat the disease along the border areas but the PNGNAC will have to set up a committee to do the same before we can make up a system to use for areas in Sandaun, Western province and part of Indonesia,” Mr Pakure said.
He said they will meet in Wewak in July to formalise plans and strategies and move on from there in the HIV\AIDS campaign along the border.
Meanwhile, Vice Minister for health and HIV\AIDS Yawa Silupa said it was good of PNGNAC and PPAC to work towards this and the Government is in full support of any projects geared towards the fight against HIV\AIDS.
He said the Government had given K16 million for the campaign against HIV\AIDS.
He asked the PPAC to appeal to their government to work closely with PNGNAC to deal with this problem because there was a lot of movement of people along the border and this poses a real risk in the spread of the virus.
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