By ZACHERY PER
THE fight to curb the rising HIV/AIDS epidemic should now be everyone’s responsibility because it has now become a national development issue.
Health and HIV/AIDS Minister Sasa Zibe clearly spelled this out at Asaro in Eastern Highlands province yesterday during the launch of the first rural anti-retroviral (ARV) roll-out programme yesterday.
“Fighting the disease is no longer the responsibility of the Government or any non-government organisation … we can reduce the epidemic only through concerted efforts,” Mr Zibe said.
He said every one had the constitutional rights to have access to treatment for any sickness including HIV/AIDS.
The Health Department has initiated with the Clinton Foundation to launch rural ART roll-out programme, Mr Zibe said.
He said HIV/AIDS was an introduced disease which was not part of the PNG society.
“Through the development process, the disease came to the country,” Mr Zibe stressed.
He supported the call from Sarthak Das, the Goroka- based director of Clinton Foundation, for people to have voluntary testing to know their HIV status.
He said the epidemic was “spreading like wild fire” in the country and appealed to the people to do their part to stop its spread.
He said 83% of our population live in the rural areas where services could not reach them.
“As minister (for Health), I will do my best to ensure that the rural ARV roll-out programme reach all corners of PNG,” Mr Zibe said.
He further said primary health care which was not reaching the rural population would soon be reaching them finally.
Eastern Highlands Governor Malcolm Smith-Kela who accompanied Mr Zibe to Asaro station with senior public servants including Administrator Munare Uyassi urged the people to seek for voluntary testing to know their HIV status and be placed on treatment if they proved positive.
Mr Smith-Kela said the minister, the Clinton Foundation and the provincial government “care for you and are coming to you and urged them to care for themselves”.