|TOP|The Moderator of the Church of Scotland has been busy this week with a two-day programme of visits to Edinburgh projects that support people living with HIV and AIDS.

The Rt. Rev. David Lacy visited the projects on Tuesday and Wednesday as a token of the Kirk’s support for the Scottish Executive’s Respect and Responsibility sexual health strategy, as well as affirmation of the high priority that the Moderator gives to HIV and AIDS.

“Highlighting the impact of HIV and AIDS on the lives of ordinary people and their families, both at home and abroad, has been one of the themes of my moderatorial year,” said Rev. Lacy.

Rev. Lacy kick-started his schedule of visits to the Edinburgh projects with a visit to the Abbeyhill-based Positive Voice, an HIV self-help organisation for people living with HIV, as well as their partners, families and carers.

|QUOTE|Locals in the area living with HIV and AIDS benefit from the Positive Voice drop-in facility and advice on complementary therapies. The centre also focuses on advocacy work on the behalf of its service users.

The visit to Positive Voice was followed by a visit from the Moderator to the NHS Lothian Genito-Urinary Medicine (G.U.M.) clinic at the Lauriston Building in Lauriston Place, where he was led on a tour of the department and had the opportunity to meet the G.U.M. consultant and his staff.

Rev. Lacy also spoke with the patients themselves regarding the healthcare needs of people living with HIV and AIDS.|AD|

The Kirk Moderator’s visits to the Edinburgh HIV/AIDS projects follows a recent visit to Malawi and Kenya during which he made a bold call for easier access to anti-retroviral drugs.

Speaking prior to his Edinburgh HIV/AIDS visits, Rev. Lacy said: “Having recently seen the valuable work done in this field in Malawi and Kenya, I am looking forward to meeting those living with HIV here in Edinburgh.”

At the Kirk’s recent HIV/AIDS Conference in Limuru, Kenya adopted a number of radical demands, such as the call for world governments to exempt anti-retroviral drugs from intellectual property laws.

Rev. Lacy said: “While that measure would be most beneficial in African countries, our demand for an end to the stigma facing those living with HIV and AIDS resonates loudly at home, as does our call to ensure free access to medical care and the ready availability of emotional support.”