JEDDAH, 29 November 2004 — The first conference on AIDS with a view to raising public awareness about the burgeoning disease in Saudi Arabia opened on Saturday. The three-day conference, sponsored by Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed, opened with addresses from the directors of health affairs in Jeddah and Makkah, Dr. Abdullatif Al-Idrees and Dr. Yasser Al-Ghamdi. Delegates saw a documentary about AIDS and an interview with a patient.
The event represents a new openness about the disease within the Kingdom. Privately admitted to but rarely mentioned in public, AIDS and the social stigmas associated with the disease within the Kingdom have in the past tended to drive patients out of the public hospital system.
Dr. Hanaa Bakhsh, one of the many working doctors involved with organizing the conference, treats children with AIDS at the Maternity Hospital in Jeddah.
“We are now treating 20 children, their ages ranging from 4 months to 21 years. The cost of the medication for those children is underwritten by the government, which is keen to do everything possible for them financially or psychologically,” Dr. Bakhsh said. She added that the children were taught to be committed to their medications to avoid negative consequences, even though their daily dosage could reach nine pills.
Dr. Bakhsh explained to Arab News that there should be more awareness about AIDS to help people deal better with carriers of the virus. She insisted love and awareness is essential to help the patients to survive their disease.
The stated aim of this conference is to educate and warn young people about the epidemic sweeping the globe and its developing profile in the Kingdom. “It is a message that we hope reaches all parts of society. Being an AIDS patient should not be a stigma, they are victims,” said Dr. Sanaa Baz Flimban. “We should support them with a living so they can continue with their lives.”
She wanted AIDS patients to be able to complete their education and maintain their jobs without fearing that they might be fired if they were found to have the disease.
The head of the National Tuberculosis Program, Dr. Nayla Abu Al-Jadayel, was one of the main organizers of the conference. She said AIDS patients were 30 percent more vulnerable to tuberculosis.
In the past, patients were often afraid of revealing their condition to specialists who could treat it, preferring to die alone. “Now the patient knows that there are several specialized physicians and hospitals that can treat him and help him fight this disease while keeping his identity discreet.”
Dr. Al-Jadayel added that people should not discriminate against these patients; rather they should help them.
Media coverage plays a big role in helping the awareness message to be delivered to everybody and attract the attention of those who want to know more.
Hassan Al-Bahkaly, the director of Media, Public Relations and Awareness, has been working hard to organize this events along with his associates and launch the conference in a representative way. He believes AIDS is a social problem — more than a physical one — that could ruin the family and cause numerous conflicts.
Jeddah, Al-Bahkaly said, is the city with the greatest number of AIDS patients in the Kingdom. “There are different ways in which one can become infected with AIDS. This is why we should all cooperate to eliminate it from our society.”
The opening ceremony drew a mixed audience of over 250 guests. The conference will last for three days during which several lectures and awareness programs are to be held.
