NEW DELHI, May 26 (Xinhuanet) -- Former US president Bill Clinton's foundation will help train 150,000 doctors along with India's National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) to quickly spread anti-HIV/AIDS drugs to the maximum number among the country's estimated 5.1 million patients.

¡¡¡¡"We need these trained doctors so that we can quickly spread drugs to all the people," Clinton, on a three-day visit to India to push tsunami relief and spread the anti-AIDS message, told reporters here Thursday.

    "Without trained doctors, we cannot give the drugs to the people because not everyone needs the same dosage of medicines. The biochemistry is different with different people. If we don't have trained doctors, patients could be taking the drugs and still dying."

    The foundation has promised to help NACO train a total 700,000 Indian doctors in the next few years. "The urgency and importance of the situation cannot be overstated. Every day you delay means someone dies who doesn't need to die," said Clinton.

    The Clinton Foundation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Indian government to assist NACO to help scale up the national antiretroviral treatment program across 188 centers.

    "In India, where an estimated 80 percent of health care servicesare provided by private sector hospitals and private physicians, it is imperative that they are given tools needed to provide standardized high quality care and treatment to those who need it," he said. Enditem