After a meeting with UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for HIV/AIDSin Asia and the Pacific Dr.Nafis Sadik, Public Health Minister WitthayaBuranasiri said Sadik praised Thailand for its effective AIDSprevention strategy in the past 28 years.
The envoysaid Thailand is among the top countries in the world to have successfulHIV/AIDS campaigns, adding Thailand’s plans coincide with the UNAIDStarget, which includes no more new patient, no more death, and nodiscrimination.
According to Minister Witthaya, thenation has earmarked a 44-billion THB budget for the HIV/AIDS preventionplans from 2012-2016, and set the target of no more than 4,900 new AIDSpatients by 2016.
According to the minister, around10,000 new patients have been found and that over 480,000 AIDS patientswere still alive in Thailand in 2011. 30-40 percent of AIDSpatients are drug addicts who share needles.-VNA/NNT