SAUDI ARABIA

All 94 Burmese AIDS patients receiving treatment in Makkah

February 25, 2018

Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — A leader of the Burmese community in the Kingdom has confirmed that 94 Burmese nationals who have contracted AIDS have been admitted to hospital for treatment.

Abdullah Marouf, secretary-general of the Burmese Community group, said all infected patients were admitted to a hospital in Makkah.

“We cooperated with the municipality and the security authorities to give treatment to these AIDS patients. We are now working on a project with the Health Affairs Directorate on renal diseases. We take care of the Burmese community in Saudi Arabia as regards to healthcare, social, educational and security needs,” said Marouf.

He said a total of 43,000 Burmese students had their status rectified in schools, 34,000 of Burmese residents had their status rectified in court and 46,000 Burmese young men were employed through the Labor Office.

Makkah Governorate spokesman Sultan Al-Dowsary said Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, emir of Makkah and adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, had ordered to form a team consisting of the governorate, the police and the Health Affairs to reach out to AIDS patients and urge them to seek treatment.

“The AIDS patients were all directed to King Faisal Specialized Hospital in Makkah for treatment. We also brought in people who lived with the patients to diagnose them and ensure that they have not contracted the disease,” said Al-Dowsary.

Founding member of the Saudi Charity Association for AIDS Patients Wafaa Al-Shammary has said many patients refrain from seeking treatments in fear of the social stigma. AIDS patients are victims but the negative social stigma has turned them into criminals, he said.

Makkah Province hosts 45 percent of all AIDS patients in the Kingdom, according to statistics for 2013. There are many factors as to why Makkah province hosts the largest number of AIDS patients in the country. The influx of pilgrims to Makkah from all over the world is one of the factors.

The Ministry of Health reported that the total number of confirmed AIDS patients in the Kingdom since 1984 until 2015 was reached 22,952, including 6,770 Saudi nationals.


February 25, 2018
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