SMC launches AIDS awareness campaign

Surat, Nov 30 (UNI) Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) will today start a campaign to spread awareness on AIDS.

The campaign which will be inaugurated by SMC Mayor Kanubhai Mavani at SMC head quarters at Mugali Sarai at 1830 hours. The campaign will be flaged of by organising a workshop for educating all the municipal corporators first, so that they can in turn spread AIDS awareness aong the lay people, SMC sources said.

Additional Director of State Family Welfare Dr Vikasben Desai, will be the chief guest in today's function.

The campaign plans to organise awareness programmes through 28 city health centres.

The campaign will aim to increase awareness among Surtis regarding the attitude that has got to be adopted towards AIDS patients and also conduct classes on sex education, sources said.

Apart from the 102 corporators many non-governmental organisations will also take part in the campaign, sources added.

Meanwhile, Gujarat State Network of People living with HIV And AIDS(GSNP) is planning to conduct a statewide campaign to persuade doctors to treat poor AIDS patients with compassion. The volunteers of GSNP will approach doctors in both government and private hospitals tomorrow as part of the campaign, GSNP organisers said.

''Many doctors, especially those who were born before 1981 are not aware of the World Health Organisation's guidelines on treating an HIV patient. Our campaign will focus on this'', a volunteer of GSNP said.

UNI MS WD AG1352