HIV testing services for prisoners of Guwahati Central Jail launched

The IGP hopes that the intervention will benefit inmates

A project to improve HIV testing services and enhancing access to treatment and care for people living in prison settings has been launched in Guwahati Central Jail.

"Prison HIV intervention project has been launched as the state is geographically surrounded by three high HIV prevalence states, with high mobility of migrants and Guwahati being the gateway of North East (NE) India," Project Director of Assam State AIDS Control Society (ASACS) Manvendra Pratap Singh said.

He also pointed out the importance of HIV prevention for everyone irrespective of position or location, an official release said here on Friday.

"Scaling up comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment and care services to those living in prisons is paramount to accelerate the reversal of the HIV epidemic and integrate the response," Singh said at the launch of the project recently.

Assam Inspector General of Prisons Ranjan Sharma pointed out the need and importance of prison HIV intervention and hoped that the project would be soon started at the earliest in other five central jails of the state.

The IGP also assured that the Prison Department would extend its full cooperation to implementing agency and hoped the intervention will benefit the health of the inmates.

Prison Intervention Programme (PIP) has been launched with the initiative of National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), ASACS, Family Health International 360, Emmanuel Hospital Association (EMA) and Northeast Technical Support Unit (NETSU).