Press Releases 2004

U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Robert Blake Jr. Inaugurates Family Counseling Center at Tambaram Government Hospital For Thoracic Medicine

August 16, 2004

CHENNAI, August 16 - The U.S. Charge d'Affaires, Mr. Robert Blake, Jr., on Monday opened the Family Counseling Center at the Government Hospital for Thoracic Medicine at Tambaram. Mr. S. Vijaya Kumar, IAS, Project Director of the Tamil Nadu AIDS Society, Mr. Abraham Kurien, President of the Indian Network of Positive People; Dr. Richard D.Haynes, US Consul General in Chennai and Dr. P. Paramesh, Superintendent of the hospital, were present.

Charge Blake congratulated the Network of Positive People, the hospital staff and the Government of Tamil Nadu for recognizing the importance of involving families in HIV/AIDS programs. He pointed out that families play a crucial role in ensuring that people living with HIV receive adequate nutrition and take good care of their health, especially taking medicines prescribed by their doctors. Mr. Blake also stressed the need that family members understood that they themselves were not at risk of getting infected with HIV while taking care of an affected person at home. He pointed out that the US government began working with Tamil Nadu state on HIV/AIDS control since 1992.

Funded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Family Counseling Center represents a partnership between the Indian Network of Positive People, who manage the Center and the Government Hospital for Thoracic Medicine. The Center, which is the first of its kind in India, will provide patients and their families at the hospital to learn about HIV/AIDS from trained counselors. Special programs on nutrition and positive living have already been planned.

Mr. Kurien noted that the Government of India has already instructed other medical institutions to develop similar programs.

Earlier during the day, Charge d'Affaires Blake met with the executive committee of the AMCHAM (American Chamber of Commerce, Tamil Nadu chapter). Mr. Blake, who arrived in Chennai on Sunday evening, left for New Delhi Monday evening.