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akarta: As much as 70 percent of the government’s budget for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention programs come from foreign donations, making the nation’s fight against the disease vulnerable.

“Indonesia should be able to fund its HIV/AIDS treatment services without foreign help if it wants sustainable programs,” Coordinating People’s Welfare Minister Agung Laksono said during the commemoration of World’s AIDS Day in Jakarta, on Tuesday.

Agung said that domestic funding does not necessarily always come from the central government, but can also come from the regional administration as well as private companies.

With “Protect Women and Children from HIV/AIDS” as its theme, the commemoration focused on vulnerable women and children, Antara news agency reported. “When women are not informed about HIV/AIDS, it affects their babies, particularly those still in their wombs,” said Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Linda Amalia Sari.

She said that the government and the public must work together to ensure that women have access to the necessary health services.

“Prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS is a one of the most important aspects of such services,” Linda pointed out.