Saskatoon Tribal Council general manager of health, Ceal Tounier, AIDS should not be spreading in Saskatoon with the new medication available.
The Saskatoon Tribal Council marked World AIDS Day with an open house at their downtown health clinic that provides HIV testing.
The tribal council’s general manager of health, Ceal Tournier, says people living with HIV are still contracting AIDS despite new medications.
She says this should not be happening in Saskatoon or Saskatchewan.
“It’s because of the reluctance or inability to reach people where they are, to provide them with important services and of course self-responsibility to accept that help when it’s offered,” said Tournier.
“To address it and start a regiment of care and treatment that will support them to remain healthy.”
Tournier says it costs about $250,000 to care for a person with HIV when detected early. For someone with full-blown AIDS, the cost of end of life care is about $1 million.