BEIJING, AUG. 17 (HANA)--Kenyan First Lady Lucy Kibaki has called for increased co-operation between Kenya and China in various social-economic endeavors, especially in fighting HIV/AIDS.
The First Lady, at the same time, hailed the existing cordial relations between Kenya and China, saying Kenya has benefited from development assistance from China, while China has been a destination of choice for Kenyan investors.
“Kenyan investors have not only provided China with the Kenyan market but also the wider East African and COMESA region market,” the First Lady pointed out.
Speaking at the Home of Loving Care which specializes with people living with HIV/AIDS at Beijing Youan Hospital, the First Lady said there is room for cooperation between Kenya and China.
She singled out provision of affordable Anti-Retroviral drugs to the poor and the enhancing of the capacity of families and communities to cope with the impact of HIV/AIDS as one of the areas requiring urgent cooperation.
The First Lady noted that though anti-retroviral therapy is now available, it is not affordable to the poor, especially women, the majority of whom live in urban and rural areas.
Saying that her office, the Kenya Chapter of the Organization of First Ladies of Africa (OAFLA), was playing a frontline role in the struggle against HIV/AIDS, First Lady noted that the efforts of the Kenya Government in providing free anti-retroviral treatment have not been adequate, as the drugs are very expensive.
The First Lady revealed that the Government is presently providing free anti-retroviral treatment to 3,000 HIV/AIDS infected persons every year.
She added: “Plans are underway to ensure that an additional 3,000 persons have access to anti-retroviral treatment every six months.”
In this regard, Mrs. Kibaki called on China and other development partners to support the Kenya Government in making HIV/AIDS treatment readily available to the poor through financial support and donation of free drugs.
The First Lady emphasized that the Kenya and other countries in Africa were fully committed to the war against HIV/AIDS.
“We are determined to make Africa a continent free of HIV/AIDS in 20 years or earlier,” the First Lady stressed.
The First Lady said that since the first HIV/AIDS case was diagnosed in Kenya in 1984, remarkable progress has been made in containing the spread of the disease and in caring for the infected.
Said the First Lady: “The Government established the National AIDS Control Council through which a strong and systematic campaign against HIV/AIDS throughout the country has been mounted. Through its grassroots network, the Council has taught Kenyans on the dangers of casual sex and the need for protected sex. As a result of this campaign, the rate of prevalence has gone down from 13 per cent three years ago to 6 per cent”.
She further noted that the Kenya Chapter of the Organization of First Ladies of Africa (OAFLA) has been active in setting up Voluntary Testing and Counseling Centers (VCTs) and in teaching the infected on how to live with the virus.
Mrs. Kibaki expressed satisfaction that nearly all Kenyans were aware of HIV/AIDS and have been educated on how to protect themselves.
The First Lady further said that her organization, OAFLA, has been playing a leading role in helping families and communities to cope with the impact of HIV/AIDS and to care for the infected and affected.
Noting that only the terminal cases of AIDS were hospitalized, the First Lady underscored the need to strengthen family and community based HIV/AIDS management initiatives and appealed for support in this area saying that families affected by the epidemic were often condemned to poverty and yet needed to care for their sick as well as the affected.
The First Lady noted that there were about one million orphans in Kenya who needed a home, basic provisions and education.
Saying that her organization, OAFLA, was actively involved in raising funds and channeling the same to families and homes caring for the orphaned children, the First Lady commended families that have adopted orphaned children and called for increased support to children homes.
The First Lady thanked the China Government for supporting Kenya in various development projects including construction of roads, education and agriculture among others.
On his part, Professor Huang Chun, who hosted the First Lady at the hospital, commended the Kenya Government for its efforts in fighting the HIV/AIDS scourge.
He noted that approximately one million people in China are infected with the HIV virus and that the China Government was equally committed to containing the spread of the epidemic. He expressed readiness for partnership in the war against HIV/AIDS and said he looked forward to greater co-operation in various fields of social and economic endeavor.
During the tour the First Lady was presented with a souvenir of the Home of Loving Care. Present during the First Lady’s visit to the hospital were Professor Xu Lianzhi, Professor Yan Huiping and Dr. Zhang Tian Ge, among other senior hospital staff and lecturers of the Capital University of Medical Science.
