AIDS research unit in Imphal Manipur

[Guest guest]

Keishing fund props AIDS research unit

Imphal(Manipur), Jan. 6: The foundation stone of an AIDS/HIV

research centre named after Rajya Sabha MP and former Manipur chief

minister Rishang Keishing was today laid by Manipur governor Arvind

Dave at the Biren Charitable Hospital complex at Chingaren in Imphal

East.

The research centre has been named by the trust of the charitable

hospital after the former chief minister in " recognition " of his

contribution to the development of the state. The two-storied

hospital is being constructed with funds provided by Keishing from

his local area development fund.

Apart from laying the foundation stone, the governor also opened a

maternity and children's ward at the hospital. A computer centre,

also named after the MP, was inaugurated by Dave as well.

The governor complimented Keishing for providing funds to the newly-

opened ward and the computer centre. The construction of the AIDS

research centre would be completed within a year. It has already

started funding a research project on AIDS and HIV.

The hospital, being run by a charitable trust, covers 75,000

residents of 41 villages in one of the least developed districts of

Manipur.

Addressing the function, the governor stressed the need for co-

operation by the general public and non-governmental organisations

in adopting measures to prevent the spread of AIDS. He also

emphasised that all resources should be mobilised and all should

join in a spirit of partnership to promote the aims and objectives

of the anti-AIDS campaign to ensure an AIDS-free society.

I. Ibohanbi, joint director of the Manipur AIDS Control Society

(MACS), the nodal agency of the government in its battle against the

disease, warned that by 2007, Manipur would have over 6,000 full-

blown AIDS cases.

Giving statistics, the joint director said till October last year,

more than 16,000 individuals have tested HIV positive, the number of

full-blown AIDS cases has jumped to 2,980 and nearly 400 lives had

been claimed by the disease since the first AIDS case was detected

in February 1990 in Manipur.

Stating that though a slew of preventive measures has been taken and

AIDS centres opened, the state would face an uphill task when the

total number of full-blown AIDS cases increases to 6,000 in the next

three years. He hoped that the proposed AIDS research centre would

help plug the lacuna to a large extent.

He pointed out that AIDS cases are no longer confined to drug

addicts who contract the virus by sharing needles, adding that it

was spreading from spouse to spouse and finally to newborns. He

promised all possible help to the Rishang Keishing AIDS Research

Centre from MACS.

Keishing, who presided over the function, said NGOs taking part in

the fight against the spread of AIDS should be encouraged by the

government. He, however, expressed regret that a number of NGOs had

sprung up in the recent past in the state to earn quick money in the

name of fighting AIDS. This practice should be immediately stopped,

he iterated.

Courtesy: The Telegraph

http://www.telegraphindia.com/section/northeast/

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