Materia Medica Malaysiana

HIV awareness for NS trainees

KUALA LUMPUR: Having an awareness programme on HIV/ AIDS as a module for national service trainees is being considered by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry.
The ministry’s parliamentary secretary Chew Mei Fun said: “We want to have a more focused awareness programme on the issue. It will be a right move to increase awareness in reproductive health.”
She said this yesterday after receiving a survey report from the Malaysian AIDS Council on Women, Girls and HIV/AIDS in conjunction with International Women’s Day.
She said the ministry would submit a report to the Cabinet after it had worked with relevant parties like the Health Ministry and the Malaysian AIDS Council to draw up a proposal for such programmes.
“We are looking for suggestions from the Malaysian AIDS Council to include this in the Ninth Malaysia Plan as AIDS is one aspect that concerns family health,” Chew said.
The survey found that almost 40% of respondents agreed that they would not be at risk f contracting HIV if they stayed faithful to their partners.
Some did not know that a woman has the right to refuse to have sex with her partner if she suspects him of engaging in high risk sexual behaviours.
Factory workers and unemployed women had the lowest level of knowledge.
On the results of the survey, Chew said that people living with HIV/AIDS needed the help of others to build a support system.
“Men are also in danger and they need to be aware of the need for a healthy lifestyle. Women need to be alerted to the wrong perception that they will not be infected if they were faithful,” she added.