Youth should play a pivotal role in changing the attitude of society toward people suffering from AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), said Dr. Nizar Bahabri of King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center in Jeddah.
“Society’s reaction toward HIV patients in the Kingdom and other parts of the Arab world is the worst,” he told Arab News after giving a presentation at the Youth Forum, which was attended by a large number of young men and women.
Bahabri said he does not have a figure on the total number of AIDS patients, adding that the information could be obtained from the Health Ministry. However, he pointed out that the number of HIV patients is on the increase for many reasons.
“We are witnessing many cases nowadays. This is mainly due to ignorance about the disease and they don’t know how to protect against it,” he said. He said companies should not prevent AIDS patients from working for them. “Some people think that AIDS is a punishment from God, but they should understand that it is like any other disease. If I have got diabetes do you say that God is punishing me? No. We are human beings and we make mistakes. We should leave it to God, and we should not punish them for that,” he explained.
Dr. Bahabri said many people have contracted the disease due to reasons other than extramarital relations. These include blood transfusion, marriage and through wounds. “Some contracted the disease without their knowledge.”
He said there is nothing wrong with marrying an HIV patient, as the chances of contracting the disease from a spouse is “very slim.” Bahabri said there is amazing progress in treatment of HIV patients in the Kingdom. “The medication is up-to-date and the treatment is free. We give them good care.” However, he pointed out that some hospital staff rejects HIV patients and fear to deal with them.
Albaraa Banjar, a Saudi marketing student at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, said Bahabri’s lecture removed many of his doubts about AIDS and what precautions to be taken to protect against it.
Rana Ridwan from the University of Business and Technology emphasized the need to treat AIDS patients sympathetically because many of them got the disease through reasons other than sexual relations.
Society’s attitude toward HIV patients must change: doctor
