First AIDS awareness workshop held in Buka

By Aloysius Laukai

Bougainville needs to coordinate its health activities to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Autonomous Region.

This was the message of Mr Alois Pukuenei at the close of the AIDS Competence Process workshop in Buka last Friday.

Mr Pukuenei is in charge of disease control in the Division of Health on Bougainville.

He told participants that HIV and AIDS had been on Bougainville for many years and yet people in the community are not doing anything to try to control its spread.

He said these diseases need to be addressed at the Districts by creating specialist facilities at the District Health Centres.

The week-long workshop was attended by volunteers and people in charge of Health Centres in the six Council of Elders areas on Buka Island.

The workshop was run by facilitators from the World Health Organization and the Constellation for AIDS Competence based in Port Moresby.

Participants will now organize and establish small awareness groups within their Councils of Elders.

If the program is successful similar courses would be run on mainland Bougainville.

Photo: Workshop participants celebrate the end of their week-long course [Aloysius Laukai]