Ajman will offer free treatment for HIV/Aids

Ajman plans to to provide free treatment to people infected with the virus, officials have said.

AJMAN // Ajman plans to launch an HIV/Aids awareness campaign next year and provide free treatment to people infected with the virus, officials said. The emirate announced the drive as part of a four-year plan to improve public services in the city, including improving its infrastructure to keep pace with development. It also aims to raise job satisfaction among city workers and offer new services to residents, such as recycling.

As part of the HIV/Aids awareness campaign, clinics will offer free testing and counselling. Patients who have contracted the virus will be offered antiretroviral drugs. Officials said the rate of HIV infection in the emirate was not immediately known. The emirate unveiled the measures earlier this week at its first municipal forum, overseen by Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, chairman of the Ajman Municipality and Planning Department.

Sheikh Rashid said the forum was intended to promote good governance, transparency and accountability. "The forum would promote strategic partnerships between various departments and organisations in both government and private institutions," he added. Overall, the emirate had six major objectives aimed at improving co-operation between departments, said Ibrahim al Hamadi, director of the Executive Council.

As part of the plan to improve infrastructure to suit the requirements of sustainable development and population growth the government plans to allocate up to five per cent of available land for residential housing. It will also study expanding the roads, especially those linking Dubai and Sharjah. Ajman also aims to develop its personnel, partly by launching leadership development programmes, in a bid to reduce the job turnover rate by 12 per cent.

Another objective, Mr Hamadi said, was to develop policies and regulations to preserve the environment and improve public health. The emirate has set for itself the ambitious target of recycling about 85 per cent of its waste and reducing overall pollution. Additionally, officials aim to maintain the architectural heritage of the emirate, create an attractive environment for investors, capitalise on new interest in the area, which has seen investment increase by 80 per cent over the past five years.

The emirate will also institute new financial regulations in an attempt to insulate itself from the international credit crunch. Ali al Hamrani, general manager of Ajman Municipality and Planning Department, said the Government intended to collect and analyse feedback from the public on its services and how best they could be improved. [e-mail]