“The Saudi Charitable Society for AIDS is launching six projects to help AIDS patients in the Kingdom,” Dr. Sana Felemban, chairperson of the first official society in Saudi Arabia for the care of AIDS patients, told Arab News on Monday.
The society was established in Jeddah a few months ago.
“‘Universal Access and Human Rights’ in line with the Human Rights charter stipulating the right for every one to live, be free and be safe is the theme of this year’s AIDS day,” Felemban said.
She said the number of AIDS patients in the Kingdom was falling but did not provide statistics. According to the latest information the number of people who tested HIV positive was 13,926 at the end of last year.
Felemban said while 50 percent of the patients were found in Makkah province, only 3,538 patients were Saudis and the remaining were expatriates and overstayers. The study also said the ratio between men and women stood at 5:1. The youth were the most affected section among the patients.
Felemban stressed the need to improve awareness campaigns among the young people.
“The society plans to implement a six point program to counter the spread of the disease and alleviate the suffering of the sick. The program will focus on educating people about the disease, providing support or sponsoring affected families, job training for the sick and their families so that they can have a decent living. The program will also stress the need for offering psychological and social support to the patients and conducting research studies on social issues that lead to the spread of the disease and the ways to rectify them,” she said.
The society’s objectives include spreading public awareness about the disease in society and providing health services to those affected. The society also aims to establish organizations that will strive to achieve integration of the sick people into Saudi society, she said.
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