A number of people waited patiently to receive medical counseling at the Voluntary, Counseling and Testing (VCT) Nusa Indah Clinic at Sanglah General Hospital, Denpasar.
Some came to the clinic for regular medical check-ups, while others tried to obtain anti-retroviral (ARV) medicine.
Established in 2004, Nusa Indah Clinic has so far treated 1,398 patients with HIV/AIDS coming from various regencies in Bali.
According to data from the Bali chapter of the Indonesian HIV/ AIDS Prevention Commission (KPA), the number of people with HIV/AIDS reached 3047 in October.
Four months ago, the number reached only 2,647 persons or an increase of 400 people.
Dr. Mangku Karnaya from Bali's KPA predicted last year that the number of HIV/AIDS sufferers on the island would likely reach 4,000.
"The predicted number is approaching the reality. We have to promptly address it to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS."
Last Monday morning, three young widows, who had contracted HIV/AIDS from their husbands, visited the clinic for ARV therapy. They came from Gianyar, Klungkung and Tabanan regencies.
"I feel too ashamed to get medical help in my hometown in Klungkung regency.
Many people blame me and my husband for contracting HIV/AIDS," Masni, one of the widows, told The Jakarta Post.
Therefore, she decided to go to Nusa Indah Clinic for regular counseling and medical treatment. She began the Preventing Mother-to-Child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV program two months ago.
"I really want to get healthy. I still have a baby to take care of," she said.
She pointed to a young female patient, Ni Luh Santi, who was in a wheelchair.
Santi came from Keramas village, Gianyar regency. The mother of two young children was crippled a few months ago. Her skin was darkened, with white spots caused by candidiasis.
Sagung Anom Suryani, head of the clinic, said a lot of patients did not get proper treatment due to limited medicines, staff and facilities.
"From January to September this year, we treated and examined 938 people and 171 were HIV/AIDS-positive."
She said the clinic was too small to receive a huge number of patients every day. There are only two small rooms.
"In every regency, the Bali health agency has built similar facilities but people prefer to go to Denpasar *Nusa Indah Clinic*.
"The clinic is already overloaded. We expected the health authority to pay closer attention to this pressing problem," Suryani said, adding the number of patients with HIV/AIDS will be increasing day by day.
The first case of HIV/AIDS in Indonesia was found in Bali in the mid-1980s with a Dutch patient.
JP/ Luh De Suriyani
