Sushma Swaraj presents new steps to Promote AIDS Awareness

[Guest guest]

Steps to promote AIDS Awareness

THE HINDU, May11, By the special correspondent.

NewDelhi, May10.

The Union Health Minister Sushma Swaraj, today announced a package of measuresto

tone up the anit-AIDS program in the country, by creating better public

awareness of the various aspects of the disease and by streamlinig the

activities of NGOs involved in the program.

The aim of the new strategy is to ensure that even while the fight against the

disease is strengthened, the stigma attached to it is dispelled by removing

various misconceptions associated with it.

A major highlight of the new strategy is a proposal to launch a high pitch

nation wide campaign that would emphasise that unsafe sex was not the only risk

factor and that there were other modes of transmission, such as use of

unsterilised syringes and neddles.

Posters, television programs and other traditional and modern means of

communication would be used to disseminate " complete and correct " information

about the disease, Ms.Swaraj said.

On the NGOs front, the plan is to allocate specific areas of activities to each

of them, so that there was no overlapping and they adopted a focused approach.

In all, there are about 700 NGOs working in the field of AIDS in the country.

The package would also include measures to promote greater involvement of all

Ministries and Departments in creating public awareness through their field

staff. For instance, sensitization programs could be organised for members of

panchayats, as they were in direct touch with people at the grass root level.

Announcing the package at a press conference at the end of a half -a- day

conference of representatives of State AIDS Control Societies, Ms. Swaraj

conceded that there were " gaps " in the anti -AIDS program in the country and

said the aim of the new strategy was to fill by adopting a forward, holistic and

integrated approach.

____________________________

Mathai V.D

Email: vdmathai@...