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AIDS Brain Drain: Countries Hit Hardest by AIDS Lacking Millions
of Medical Workers
African-American Groups Call on Black America to Renew Efforts
to Fight AIDS and Homophobia
AIDS Prevention: Bush Admin Abstinence Policy Criticized
at Int'l AIDS Conference
South African AIDS Activist: "Total Failure of Gvt to
Lead Coordinated Response to What Has Presented Itself as
a Catastrophe for the New Democracy"
AIDS Brain Drain: Countries Hit Hardest by AIDS Lacking
Millions of Medical Workers
The World Health Organization warned earlier this week that
the countries hit hardest by AIDS desperately need 4 million
more health workers to cope with the crisis. Many of the locally-trained
doctors and nurses in these countries have been lured away
to the United States and Europe by higher salaries. We speak
with Smita Baruah of Physicians for Human Rights. [includes
rush
transcript]
24,000 scientists, activists and officials are gathering
in Toronto, Canada this week for the 16th International World
Aids Conference - the largest conference on AIDS ever held.
An estimated 25 million people have died of AIDS since the
first cases of HIV were reported a quarter of a century ago.
Today we will spend the hour speaking with activists from
around the world.
Earlier this week the World Health Organization warned that
the countries hit hardest by AIDS desperately need 4 million
more health workers to cope with the crisis.
These countries - especially in Sub-Saharan Africa - are
suffering from what is known as a brain drain. Many of the
locally-trained doctors and nurses have been lured away to
the United States and Europe by higher salaries.
In South Africa, 37 percent of locally trained doctors are
now working outside the country. In one section of Uganda,
half of the doctors recently trained in handling HIV have
left the country to work at NGOs in the region.
African-American Groups Call on Black America to
Renew Efforts to Fight AIDS and Homophobia
The NAACP, National Urban League and other civil rights
groups have launched a major new effort to fight AIDS and
homophobia within the African-American community. We speak
with the executive director of the Black AIDS Institute that
is spearheading the initiative. [includes rush
transcript]
The NAACP, National Urban League and other civil rights
groups have launched a major new effort to fight AIDS and
homophobia within the African-American community.
AIDS is now the top national cause of death for African-American
women between the ages 25 to 34 and it is a leading cause
of death for black men.
On Monday, NAACP Chairman Julian Bond said AIDS must be seen
as a "black disease." Bond joined actress Sheryl
Lee Ralph, filmmaker Bill Duke, and Congresswomen Maxine Waters
and Barbara Lee to back a "National Call to Action and
Declaration of Commitment to End the AIDS Epidemic in Black
America." Spearheading the initiative is the Black AIDS
Institute.
AIDS Prevention: Bush Admin Abstinence Policy Criticized
at Int'l AIDS Conference
The Bush administration's "ABC" policy of "Abstinence,
Be Faithful, and Use a Condom" is being criticized by
many - including Microsoft founder Bill Gates - at the 16th
International World Aids Conference in Toronto. We take a
looks at the issue of AIDS prevention with a New York-based
activist and speak with a leading advocate for sex workers
in Canada. [includes rush
transcript]
On Sunday, at the International AIDS conference in Toronto,
Microsoft founder Bill Gates gave a keynote speech about the
fight against AIDS and criticized the Bush administration's
push for abstinence policies. Gates said the "ABC"
program promoting abstinence, being faithful and using a condom
has saved many lives but that the power to prevent HIV must
be put in the hands of women.
- Bill Gates, speaking August 13th at the International
AIDS conference in Toronto.
To talk more about HIV prevention, we speak with two AIDS
in Toronto.
- Claire Thiboutot, former stripper and the executive director
of Stella, a sex-workers'
rights group based in Montreal.
South African AIDS Activist: "Total Failure
of Gvt to Lead Coordinated Response to What Has Presented
Itself as a Catastrophe for the New Democracy"
We speak with Sipho Mthathi, general secretary of the South
African AIDS activist organization, Treatment Action Campaign
about AIDS in Africa, the effect of U.S. AIDS policies on
the global landscape and the significance of Bill Gates in
the global fight against AIDS. [includes rush
transcript]
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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