AIDS campaign not to be condom-centric: Health Minister

February 3, 2003

AIDS campaign not to be condom-centric: Sushma

Express News Service

New Delhi, January 31: Newly appointed Health Minister Sushma Swaraj

has said that media campaign against AIDS cannot be condom-centric

since the disease does not spread only through unsafe sex.

Sushma, who in her earlier job as I & B Minister had objected to

National Aids Control Organisation's awareness campaign against AIDS,

stuck to her argument while taking over as Health Minister today.

``Giving a message that a person who is suffering from the AIDS must

have had unsafe sex, does not give a correct picture. There are other

factors that are responsible for the spread of this disease and such

a campaign does not put across the correct message,'' Sushma said.

However, she clarified that fighting AIDS was the responsibility of

all governmental departments and there would be no clash between the

Information Ministry and Health Ministry on it. Vowing to work

towards minimising the cost of healthcare for the common man,she

said: ``For a nation to be secure, its people should be in good

health. Unhealthy people cannot contribute in making a country

strong.'' She said good healthcare and education system were the

priority of Vajpayee government.

Sushma also took the opportunity to defend her predecessor Shatrughan

Sinha, who was charged of playing truant while the Parliament was in

session. ``These are baseless allegations against him. Once in a

while it's all right for anyone to be away,'' she said.

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