International physicians to open anti-AIDS clinic

An international coalition of physicians, including Dr Michael Scheld from the University of Virginia and Uganda's Dr Nelson Mandela Sewankambo, will open an HIV/AIDS clinic in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, by 1 May. The 269-square-metre clinic was made possible by the Pfizer Foundation, a philanthropic arm of the US-based pharmaceutical giant, and is expected to provide free antiretroviral drugs, the Associated Press news agency reported. "Right now we have 600 people on antiretroviral therapy and we hope to expand that to 10,000 if we get the funding. For me, it's a humanitarian relief effort that's screaming for help. There is a huge disparity in treatment between the US and Africa, and it shouldn't be that way," Scheld said.