EU Commission moves forward in assisting Benghazi HIV-AIDS sufferers

The European Commission signed yesterday a Memorandum of Understanding with the Libyan authorities and will start work immediately to implement an Action Plan to provide urgent policy advice and technical support to the Libyan health authorities and upgrade the capacity of the Benghazi Centre for Infectious Diseases and Immunology (BCIDI) to international standards. EU and Libyan experts will hold their first operational meeting today. The "HIV Action Plan for Benghazi" was launched by the EU in November 2004 and is being implemented by the Libyan authorities with support from the Commission and EU Member States.

Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner, said: "The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding yesterday and the first operational meeting today are decisive steps towards the implementation of our Action Plan. AIDS is one of the toughest challenges facing medicine all across the world. I am satisfied that with our Action Plan we are putting the best of European expertise at the service of others in need." She added: "If all parties play their part in this joint effort the Action Plan should quickly result in a substantial improvement for the HIV-AIDS sufferers and their families. I hope that together, we can make the Benghazi Centre for Infectious Diseases and Immunology a world class centre for treatment of this terrible disease."

In Benghazi, more than 400 children and mothers have been infected by HIV/AIDS. Measures taken over the last six years have not succeeded in bringing the BCIDI to the high standard of medical care needed to tackle such a massive epidemic or in raising awareness of the wider community to reintegrate patients into society.

The Action Plan includes provision of policy advice to the Libyan government and health authorities at national and regional level and provision of technical assistance and specialist advice on the treatment of patients, systems for safe blood transfusion, laboratory analysis, hospital management and social reintegration of HIV-infected persons and their families into Libyan society.

The plan includes the continuous presence of European doctors and technicians in Benghazi to supervise medical care, organise the various hospital departments concerned with the epidemics and provide training to their Libyan counterparts. Training will also be given to Libyan medical staff in Europe.

This essential package follows talks between Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner, the Libyan health authorities and the Kadhafi Foundation during the Commissioner's visit to Benghazi and Tripoli on 24th and 25th May.

For more information:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/lybia/intro/index.htm

| Arriba |

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