Better counselling for HIV patients expected

National, Normal

NINE staff members working at the Alotau General Hospital, Milne Bay province, can now provide better counselling to people living with HIV/AIDS.
They  attended a two-week workshop last week on basic counselling and voluntary counselling training, facilitated by Doreen Nadile of the provincial AIDs committee.
The staff members included clinical and non-clinical staff in various departments of the hospital.
Milne Bay provincial AIDS committee chairman Dr Noel Yaubihi said there was a need to engage more hospital staff in counselling.
Currently counselling is provided by health workers at the disease control centre situated within the hospital. 
At the closing ceremony of the workshop, Dr Yaubihi told the counsellors to adopt the word of God into their lives and the lives of those affected by HIV.
He said by encouraging them with the word of God it would help them to  accept their situation.