Sudan Celebrates World AIDS Day

Khartoum/ The Citizen

In December of each year, Sudan celebrates the World AIDS Day, together with the international community, under the slogan “Overcoming Service Disruption and Shifting the Course of the AIDS Response”.

In a press statement, the Director of the National AIDS Program at the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Mazen Al-Mubarak, stressed that the program renews its commitment to work with government institutions, organizations and supporters, people living with the disease and others, to accelerate efforts, overcome barriers and build an AIDS-free Sudan, which requires ensuring access to services for all living people, combating stigma and discrimination, creating a supportive environment while strengthening health systems, as well as mobilizing national and international resources to finance a strong, comprehensive and sustainable response to the fight against AIDS.

Al-Mubarak said that Sudan faced social, economic, and political challenges that tested the health system and deepened its vulnerabilities. He added that, despite this, it was the steadfastness of the people and the dedication of the health cadres, along with the courage of the communities affected by the disease, that enabled the preservation of basic services, the expansion of access to antiretroviral treatment, and the work to eliminate the prevention of mother-to-fetal transmission of the virus.

Mubarak acknowledged that there is still a long way to go towards ending AIDS due to stigma, discrimination, and gender inequality, adding that “all of this hinders progress.”