For providing free testing and counselling facilities to the HIV positive patients ten new Integrated Counselling Testing Centre (ICTCs) and 32 Facility Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres (FICTCs) were opened in Haryana this year.
The targeted intervention projects have been also started for truckers for the first time at the two sites in Gurgaon and Panipat districts, a spokesman of the Haryana State AIDS Control Society said here today.
Three new Blood Banks have also been opened in the state to ensure quality service and safe blood to the patients.
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Due to increased targeted interventions projects for high risk groups like female sex workers, injectable drug users, homosexuals, migrants and truckers, the spread of new infections from these groups has substantially reduced, he said.
It has also helped in bringing out the positive attitudinal change in the perception of the people about AIDS, he said.
In addition to the already functioning one Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART) centre at PGIMS Rohtak, one more ART centre at Medical college Agroha Hisar is being started which provides care and treatment to the people living with HIV or AIDS.
Haryana State AIDS Control Society has taken sustained efforts in spreading the awareness about AIDS and providing treatment to HIV positives at all district and sub districts through 98 ICTCs, 97 Sexual Transmitted Infection (STI) clinics, 69 Targeting Intervention (TI) NGOs, 67 Blood Banks, 17 Link Art Centres (LACs) and Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) Centres, he said.
In the year 2013, Haryana has achieved 97 per cent voluntary blood donation in Government blood banks.
Besides, 1,74,550 general and 1,34,243 pregnant women have been provided counselling and testing for HIV, the spokesman added.
