Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Cresent Societies - 17 December 2001
Rohan Kay in Chiang Mai, Thailand
For Dr Alvaro Bermejo, the International Federation's head of health and care department in Geneva, this conference is an opportunity for National Societies to hear from Red Cross and Red Crescent caregivers about their needs and the needs of their patients.
"National Societies must learn how to better-support their caregivers, who often work under tremendous stress with little or no psychological back up. In the Red Cross, we haven't been good at supporting those who care for people with HIV/AIDS", says Dr Bermejo.
"Without care there can be no hope in the prevention of HIV/AIDS, he added stressing that the Red Cross Red Crescent "are good at managing effective HIV prevention programmes, but need to do more in terms of advocating against the discrimination that prevents people from coming out as HIV positive, and supporting Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers who care for positive people."
Dr Bermejo singled out the National Societies of Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe - all of which are represented at the conference by volunteer caregivers - as being role models for other National Societies to emulate in the care of people living with HIV/AIDS.
"The Red Cross and Red Crescent is a global network where National Societies can teach - and learn from - each other. All are committed to scaling up their response to HIV/AIDS; they showed as much at the Federation's last General Assembly in November. This conference will focus our minds on how we all do that", he said.
The 5th International Conference on Home and Community Care for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS is cosponsored by the International Federation, UNAIDS, World Health Organisation, Global Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS, and various other governmental and non-governmental organisations. The conference is co-organised by the Thai Red Cross.
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