KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 (AFP) - Predominantly Muslim Malaysia will begin distributing free needles and condoms to intravenous drug users in January to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS, a report said Sunday.
"The earliest we can begin is in January," Health Minister Chua Soi Lek was quoted as saying by the Sunday Star newspaper.
Last month Chua announced that a pilot project would begin in October, but told the newspaper it had been delayed because the government wanted to ensure that enough trained staff were available.
He also said the controversial plan had yet to be discussed with religious groups, and that Muslim scholars would be consulted in early August.
The needles and condoms will be supplied through 20 government and private clinics who will distribute them to some 1,200 drug users.
The minister said 61,486 people were infected with HIV as of September last year -- 75 percent of whom are intravenous drug users.
The announcement follows a government decision in May to trial the supply of methadone meant to wean heroin and opium users off the drugs.
AIDS activists say a lack of education about the virus, plus a deep-rooted reluctance to discuss sex or admit the extent of the problem, have hindered Malaysia's fight against HIV/AIDS.
But some attacked the plan, saying it was a waste of public funds, while others objected on religious grounds.
"Seventy percent of the addicts have AIDS and the government is going to provide them with injections and condoms for free. My question is, these people are already half-crazy, do we need to give needles and condoms?," lawmaker Abdul Ghapur Salleh was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency last month in parliament.
Malaysia has been struggling to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS, with activists saying the problem is getting worse. Three Malaysian states have introduced compulsory HIV tests for couples intending to marry.
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