Clinton group, India to train nurses in Aids care

NEW DELHI - Former US President Bill Clinton and the Indian government announced today a joint plan to train nurses in Aids care in a country which has the world's second-largest number of HIV/Aids cases.

Of India's billion plus people, more than 5.1 million are living with HIV/Aids, making it the second-worst affected nation after South Africa.

The plan, a partnership between National Aids Control Organisation of India (NACO) and the Clinton Foundation, aims to develop training material and programme for nurses, a news release by the Foundation said.

"Nurses are a critical link in the delivery of care and treatment for people living with HIV," said Clinton, who visited the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the country's top hospital.

"Nurses not only deliver clinical care needed to keep people alive, but they also act as counsellors and play an important role in reducing the myths, stigma & discrimination surrounding this disease," the former president added.

Last month, Clinton announced an initiative with nine drug companies he said would cut the cost of HIV/Aids testing and treatment in 50 developing countries and help save hundreds of thousands of lives.

- REUTERS