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Sponsors hand over contributions for HIV/Aids colloquium expenses |13 October 2015

 

 

 

Sponsors of the 14th Indian Ocean HIV & AIDS colloquium which will be held in Seychelles over the next two days, have formally handed over their contributions to the Ministry of Health.
This took place on Friday during a short ceremony at the Seychelles Hospital.

The colloquium will be officially opened this evening at the International Conference Centre while discussions tomorrow and on Thursday will take place at the Savoy Resort & Spa under the theme ‘S'unir pour combler les écarts et arriver à zéro nouvelles infections, zéro décès et zéro discrimination’.

This annual colloquium features high on the calendar of health events in the Indian Ocean commission countries.
 
Bringing together health workers, policy makers, non-governmental organisations, academics, media and people living with HIV & Aids, the colloquium provides a safe environment for discussions, exchange of ideas, sharing of experiences and good practices and opportunity to acquire new knowledge in terms of managing the epidemic from a treatment perspective.

The outcome has far reaching benefits to individuals, families, organisations and society as a whole.

Businesses as one group of the main benefactors have always supported endeavours of the Ministry of Health, and their contributions and sponsorship have always been welcomed in offsetting a portion of the cost in putting such an event together.

Thanking the sponsors, Minister Larue said the Ministry of Health appreciates the contribution that they have made to ensure the success of such an event.
 “We are indeed very grateful as you have made it possible for Seychelles to host this important colloquium which provides an opportunity for all those concerned with HIV/Aids and hepatitis in the Indian Ocean islands to come together to discuss these topics and share experiences,” the minister said.

She said the colloquium is organised annually and all countries in the region take turn to host it, noting that this is the third time Seychelles is given the opportunity to host this gathering in its 14-year history.

She pointed out that the hosting of this colloquium here comes at a time that Seychelles is seeing a change in the epidemic in the country. Last year 91 new cases of HIV were diagnosed and 93 of hepatitis C. Furthermore last year 19 people died from HIV alone compared to previous years which recorded five to six people.

Some 470 people are living with HIV in Seychelles. From January to June the Ministry of Health has discovered 41 new cases. As for hepatitis there are about 43 new cases.  

Also present at the ceremony on Friday were the principal secretary for health Peggy Vidot, the chief executive of the Health Care Agency Dr Suresh Menon and senior health officials.

 

 

 

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