South African National Defence Force Launches Clinic for Army Personnel, Families

The South African National Defence Force on Tuesday opened the country's first clinic where army personnel and their families can obtain HIV/AIDS testing and treatment, VOANews.com reports. The clinic is the first of six testing and treatment centers that the military plans to establish throughout the country as part of Project Phidisa, which means "to heal" in Tswane (Robertson, VOANews.com, 1/20). Staff at the clinic plan to conduct clinical research into the most appropriate and effective medical treatment to combat HIV, Xinhua News Agency reports (Xinhua News Agency, 1/20). The military primarily will be in charge of the project but will receive assistance from local academic and research institutions, as well as from the U.S. Department of Defense and NIH (VOANews.com, 1/20). South African Deputy Minister of Defence Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge said that the success of the program depends on the participation of army personnel. "This clinic can achieve its set objectives only if those members and their families voluntarily enroll and participate fully in the project," Madlala-Routledge said (Xinhua News Agency, 1/20).