2006年VOA标准英语-Nigerian Military Gets Free HIV/AIDS Treatment(在线收听) |
By Gilbert da Costa Military personnel in Nigeria are getting free HIV/AIDS treatment under an initiative funded by the U.S. government. Authorities are hoping service personnel will now be encouraged to take voluntary HIV tests.
More than 400 service personnel have been put on anti-retroviral therapy under the United States President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, a five-year, $15 billion-global initiative to combat the HIV/AIDs epidemic.
"The DoD [U.S. Department of Defense] program has enabled us acquire new structures, has provided us with a fairly good number of laboratory equipment and other equipment that have made it easier for us to do our jobs and to render service to our clients," he said. "The laboratory we run has been upgraded by the program and we are able to do our chemistry, we are able to do our CD-4 count. And we are able to have other backups to support the use of anti-retroviral drugs."
Six other centers across Nigeria have been opened for military personnel in need of HIV/AIDS treatment and there are plans to open three more by March 2007.
The Nigerian government is hoping the availability of treatment will encourage servicemen to submit themselves for voluntary HIV testing. Until now, soldiers testing positive for HIV were discharged from service.
"I thank you for the role that you played in these efforts in the past, as partners with us and we look forward to enhancing that partnership through very good, cooperative programs in the days ahead," he added.
The United States has significantly increased assistance to the Nigerian military since the return to democracy in 1999.
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原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/voastandard/2006/11/35679.html |