Bihar: NACO calls for more NGOs in anti-Aids drive

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NACO calls for more NGOs in anti-Aids drive

SACHCHIDANAND JHA

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2003 03:49:28 AM ]

PATNA: The National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) has advised the

state government to involve more non-government organisations (NGOs)

in the Aids awareness work.

NACO consultant and senior bureaucrat Rajiv Sadanand, who reviewed

the functioning of different NGOs associated with Aids awareness

programme in Patna, Nalanda and Muzaffarpur districts during his

three-day visit to Bihar starting from October 15, requested the

health commissioner to upscale the activities of NGOs in the state.

Sadanand also reviewed the Aids control programme in the state with

Bihar State Aids Control Society (BSACS) project director C K Anil.

Laying emphasis on the detection of unidentified cases of Aids and

HIV+, the NACO consultant told Anil that the official figure of Aids

and HIV might be just a tip of the iceberg as the people living with

these diseases were still reluctant to approach the doctor due to

social stigma attached to them. The NACO has not released the

statewise figures of Aids cases for the past few months.

Meanwhile, the total number of people living with HIV has increased

to 4,291 in Bihar. The BSACS, however, still puts the official figure

of HIV in the state at 3,500 only and that of Aids at 155 till June

this year. Anil said the BSACS has initiated measures to identify the

hidden cases of both Aids and HIV.

Talking to TNN on Saturday, Anil said as of now 30 voluntary

counselling and testing centres (VCTCs) were functional in the state

while 16 more centres would become operational by next month. He said

that 30 counsellors were trained in August alone.

Replying to a query, Anil said 9,287 persons were counselled at the

30 VCTCs between January and September of which 7,528 people

voluntered to undergo HIV test and finally 791 of them tested HIV

positive.

Apart from the VCTCs, Anil added, there were also 25 sexually

transmitted disease(STD) clinics in the state of which six were

located at the six medical college hospitals in the department of

skin and obstetrics and gynaecology and the rest 19 at district

hospitals.

Anil said that during the current financial year, the BSACS had

released Rs.1 lakh to 17 district hospitals for opening STD clinics.

The society also released Rs.1 lakh each to the six medical college

hospitals for purchasing Reagents and medicine for STD clinics. He

said that till September 13,256 STD patients were treated at the 25

STD clinics. Anil said that the BSACS had released Rs.50,000 to PMCH

during financial year 2002-03 for the treatment of two Aids patients

on the recommendation of NHRC and NACOH.

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