JEDDAH, 12 December 2006 — Princess Alia bint Abdullah, honorary member of the Saudi AIDS Society, yesterday opened an art auction for the benefit of AIDS patients at Laylaty Hall as part of the AIDS awareness campaign.
Around 200 businessmen, intellectuals and writers participated in the auction and several paintings were bought including by Princess Alia. “The paintings and sculptures will be displayed at a gallery and continue to be sold. Fifty percent of the proceeds will be donated for the benefit of AIDS patients,” said Dr. Sana Filimban, director of King Saud Hospital, the care center for AIDS patients in Jeddah.
The event yesterday, organized by the National Program for Combating AIDS, which is chaired by Dr. Filimban, featured papers addressing the economic and social impact of AIDS on Saudi Arabia.
“The event aims to bring the AIDS patient closer to society rather than being isolated from it,” Dr. Filimban told Arab News. “The media plays a big role in raising health awareness about the disease and in helping society accept the AIDS patient.”
She commended Princess Alia on her efforts in supporting this cause. “She is an active member of the society, which is still under establishment. She promised to work at supporting the patients by all possible means such as finding them jobs and raising awareness about their needs,” said Dr. Filimban.
Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishal ibn Majed, inaugurated the art exhibition for auction. Attending the event was Makkah region health affairs director, Dr. Yasser Al-Ghamdi, Jeddah health affairs director, Dr. Abdulrahman Khayyat, and deputy minister of health for contagious diseases, Dr. Khalid Al-Zahrani.
Dr. Al-Zahrani thanked Princess Alia for her support and hoped it will have a positive impact on society.
Two AIDS patients, a young man and a woman, spoke about their experiences on how they contracted the virus and how their family and society were treating them. The participants were deeply sympathetic with them.
