The board of directors of the Saudi Association for HIV Patients has elected Princess Alia Bint Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz as the Honorary President on Wednesday. Abdul Mohsen Al-Akass, the Saudi Minister of Social Affairs, had approved the foundation of the association, the first of its kind in the Kingdom, which is based in Jeddah. Princess Alia said the association has been founded on purely humanitarian grounds, and aims to offer support Saudi HIV patients in their efforts to obtain their right to lead honorable lives. The association would help HIV patients, especially those who have had no hand in contracting the fatal viral disease, integrate into the society to beat the social stigma linked to the disease, she said. “This association is mainly tasked with enlightening the public about the disease,” said the daughter of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. “It also educates women AIDS patients that mingling with them does not pose any threat to their lives, because the disease is mainly transmitted through sexual intercourse and the transfusion of contaminated blood.” Another important role for the association, she said, is to approach philanthropists and encourage them to contribute to the well-being of the patients. A third goal is to direct patients to professional institutions in the country to care for and rehabilitate them, both socially and psychologically, to help them eventually assimilate into the society. Princess Alia also stressed the right of AIDS patients to make their own living by helping them secure jobs in their own areas of expertise. “This makes them feel that they are not excluded by the society,” she said. “The association's work is not only confined to this, but it also coordinates with private and governmental charitable institutions to extend help to AIDS patients, in kind and cash, to help them meet their personal requirements.” She added that the society organizes training courses for patients to help them develop their skills, as well as help them learn other skills, so as to eventually help them earn their living independently. Princess Alia said the association also educates couples about their rights in cases of marriages and divorces, especially if one of them is not infected by the disease. The 13-member board of directors is chaired by Dr. Muhammad Erfan, with the membership of Dr. Sana Mustafa Felmban, deputy chairperson, and Faleh Al-Selmi, the association's financial comptroller. __
