RWANDA: Clinton lauds nation's care of people with HIV/AIDS

KIGALI, 25 July 2005 (PlusNews) - Former US President Bill Clinton said on Saturday Rwanda could become a model for how other countries in the world should combat the spread of AIDS in rural areas.

"We want Rwanda to be a model for the world on how to provide the same kind of care for people who are HIV positive in villages that is typically provided in urban clinics," Clinton said in Kigali, the Rwandan capital, during a brief visit to an HIV treatment and research centre in Rwanda.

In the past year, Rwanda has increased the number of treatment sites from 20 to 57, according to the foundation, and tripled the number of people on anti-retroviral treatment to approximately 13,250 - which is about 20 percent of the total number of Rwandans who need it.

Clinton said his foundation's Pediatric Initiative would donate antiretroviral treatment for 2,500 Rwandan children for one year.