Gujarat: State AIDS control body will sensitise health workers to HIV patients

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State AIDS control body will sensitise health workers to HIV patients

Express News Service/ Posted: Jun 25, 2009

Vadodara In view of the recent incident in Jamnagar, in which a nurse had

labelled a pregnant woman as `HIV positive', the Gujarat State AIDS Control

Society (GSACS) plans to start sensitisation workshops for health workers and

officials to handle HIV+ patients.

Initially, these will be held in Surat, Vadodara, Jamnagar and Ahmedabad.

Moreover, as part of the social marketing project of GSACS, 2,000 condom vending

machines would be installed with the help of parallel organisations working for

HIV positive patients.

Out of 86 HIV positive cases in the Panchmahals district, 56 are in Godhra

alone. Dr P K Vaghela, the chief district health officer of Godhra, said that 36

new condom vending machines would be installed in the town. " We have issued a

circular to all health officials in the public and private sector to take extra

precautions, such as gloves while conducting tests on HIV patients and follow

necessary protocol in handling them by keeping their identities secret, " added

Vaghela.

Newsline had recently reported about health workers in private pathological labs

contracting the virus.

Dr Pradeep Kumar, Additional Project Director, GSACS, said: " As part of the

social marketing project, condom vending machines with premium quality

contraceptives would be installed. For this, users will be charged in cities

such as Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Surat and Jamnagar. "

The plan to set up new condom dispensers was decided before the Jamnagar

hospital incident, Kumar said. " However, keeping in mind that incident, we are

also starting the sensitisation workshops for all health officials and workers

starting with cities and then move to the rural areas with the aid of parallel

organisations, " he added.

Meanwhile, the officials said that although smaller towns are on the radar,

bigger cities such as Ahmedabad and Surat have higher number of cases in the

state.

Gujarat, Kumar said, has 1,38,000 people living with HIV out of about 24 lakh

people tested positive in India.

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