Health Min steps up HIV interventions

To scale up its HIV interventions, the Union Health Ministry has launched a programme to create awareness about the infection and ensure that facilities for testing of HIV and sexually transmitted infection are provided to private and public sector employees.
The Department of Aids Control will provide technical support to employers in public and private sectors for providing the facilities to employees under the 'Employer Led Model', Secretary, Department of AIDS Control, Lov Verma said today.
"Under this model, employees working in private and public sector will be provided the facilities of STI and HIV testing by their employers. It will help in improving the detection and prevention rate as the disease will be diagnosed in its primary stage.

"Once tested positive, the employee would be sent to public health centres for treatment," Verma said.
India currently has a population of an estimated 30 per cent of PLHIV (People Living with HIV).
To strengthen the awareness programmes and mainstream the issues relating to HIV-AIDS, the DAC of Union Health Ministry will sign an MOU with Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation tomorrow with an aim to merge technical expertise.

Besides, DAC in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme will be holding an international conference on HIV-AIDS from tomorrow till December 12.
Representatives from South-Asian countries like Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia along with Egypt, Algeria and Dominican Republic will participate in the conference for sharing technical expertise and working methodology.

However, countries like South Africa and Nigeria, which have the largest HIV affected population, will not take part in the conference.