Harvard Medical International (HMI), the international arm of Harvard Medical School, US, together with the Wockhardt Group, have announced the launch of a non-profit organization, WHARF (Wockhardt -- HMI HIV / AIDS Education and Research Foundation) to upgrade the knowledge and skills of direct 'care providers' in HIV/AIDS.

Habil Khorakiwala, chairman of Wockhardt Group while addressing the gathering said, "The project is being launched to train the doctors, nurses and counsellors in not just the prevention but also the diagnostics and management of HIV/AIDS." According to him, though the health care cost of treating AIDS/HIV will be staggering for the Indian economy, this is the first time that such a unique training initiative is being undertaken to empower actual care providers in HIV/AIDS in India.

The Group has benchmarked Mumbai for its launch in December this year, as it is one of the most affected metros in the country. After having started with Mumbai, Maharashtra, the group will move to other badly affected states within a year's time.

Accordingly, four eminent medical specialists from the US will join their Indian counterparts for the four-day pilot programme starting on December 4, 2002. As part of the pilot project, two symposia for the healthcare providers has been planned at Sion and Nair hospitals in Mumbai, where presentations and seminars would be held by the Harvard faculty. The group also plans to co-ordinate its activities with the Mumbai District AIDS Control Society (MDACS), a nodal government agency working in HIV/AIDS and simultaneously provide training to their staff as well.

The first batch will consist of doctors representing the city's medical college as well as municipal and private hospitals, besides nurses and counsellors.

According to Dr Robert K Crone, HMI president and CEO, "With four million HIV positive cases in India, it is critical that issues relating to their welfare be addressed on a priority without undermining the efforts aimed at preventing the spread of the disease. According to him, HMI has already been working with Wockhardt in providing world-class healthcare to the Indian citizens and WHARF is just another natural extension of their help."

The programme under WHARF will be covering the following areas,
- Pattern and extent of the disease, especially in Mumbai and India
- Counselling individuals to opt for voluntary HIV testing
- Best methodologies to diagnose HIV
- Management of positive cases and associated infections
- Counselling and care to manage the stigma and discrimination associated with AIDS/HIV, and
- Help build a network which will assist people who need it the most in the country.