BARCELONA – An international group of AIDS specialists are in the final stages of setting up a clinic in Sharpeville that will offer services such as the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), treatment of opportunistic infections and anti-retroviral therapy.

The International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC) announced today that it would be setting up rural pilot projects in Brazil, Thailand, Jamaica, Thailand, Haiti and South Africa with the South African pilot expected to be the first one out of the blocks.

The Joint HIV/AIDS Care Initiative (JHACI) will also provide the funding needed for operational expenses, conduct medical training through the Global AIDS Learning & Evaluation Network (GALEN), establish opportunities for physician exchange with academic institutions and provide the drugs and diagnostic tools needed.

The Sharpeville pilot, which will be situated in a closed TB hospital, will also take a holistic approach, according to South African IAPAC representative Dr Mulamba Diese.

‘€œWe also hope to co-ordinate the homebased care, find solutions for people who have been thrown out of their homes because they are HIV positive, care and support, provide food support and initiate an agricultural project,’€ said Diese.

The South African pilot will establish a physician exchange programme with the University of Ottawa’€™s Faculty of Medicine in Canada.

Diese said the project would be initiated with the blessing of the local government, provincial government and national government in South Africa.

‘€œThe response has been extremely positive and we hope to get it off the ground soon,’€ Diese said.