Govt. committed to eradicate AIDS

MATALE: President Mahinda Rajapaksa is totally committed to help eradicate HIV/AIDS from this island.

The Government, spends the second largest sum to the health sector, next only to education, Presidential Advisor and Media Ombudsman A.H.M. Azwer said. He was speaking at the final session on ‘Good Governance’ at the ICAAP conference at the BMICH.

Addressing foreign delegates, Azwer said despite the massive campaign launched by the UNDP worldwide, if the people are educated on the basic lessons of their religions, mankind could be saved from this disease.

In Buddhism according to the third precept its followers are told to refrain from carnal desires and sexual misbehaviour.

The holy Quran, on the other hand, calls upon the females to protect their modesty by dressing decently and males are advised to cast their looks down. Even the Bible and Hindu scriptures ordain their adherents to set good moral standards, he said.

“This is prevention at its highest level than seeking remedies after the tragedy strikes”.

Referring to statement made by Matale mayor Hilmi Mohamed, Azwer said that Matale could be considered the “safest city in the world” for people to live as the Mayor did disclose that his PHIs and his assistants, have discovered, only two victims of HIV/AIDS virus out of a total population of 2,000,000 people in Matale, he said.

The Matale Mayor presented a paper on the action taken by his local body to eradicate this disease in Matale.

Former Colombo Mayor Omar Kamil made the keynote address.