Study to assess health status of women with AIDS

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Dear All,

Greetings from RNP+!!!

Find the attached news iteam on a diagnostic study to assess the social economic

and health status of women living with HIV/AIDS in Rajasthan will be taken up

with the support of UNIFEM.

Study to assess health status of women with AIDS

Special Correspondent

JAIPUR: A diagnostic study to assess the socio economic and health status of

women living with HIV/AIDS (WLHIV) in Rajasthan will be taken up with the

support of UNIFEM. The findings of the study will be used for drafting a policy

for WLHIV to ensure their basic right of survival with dignity. The policy is

being prepared by Rajasthan Network of Positive People (RNP+), in partnership

with IMPACT, New Delhi.

At present 14,000 HIV positive people are registered with RNP+ and out of them,

more then 7,000 are women. " Majority of the women are widows. Over 10,000

infected and affected children are associated directly with RNP+ and out of whom

1096 are orphans, " said Brajesh Dubey, president of RNP+.

The study and policy formulation will be financed through a grant sanctioned by

the recently concluded UNIFEM round of Gender Equity Funds. " The grant will be

utilised to prepare the draft and submit a policy document to the Government of

Rajasthan on December 1, 2010 indicating the package of services to be made

available to women living with HIV as part of their right to survive with

dignity and support the system in ratifying and implementing the policy, " said

, project manager.

Mr. said the objective of the diagnostic study would be to ascertain the

current status of WLHIV on social, economic and health fronts and to assess the

disease pattern among the women living with HIV as well as the medication

prescribed to them.

Seven hundred HIV + women from 14 districts of Rajasthan would be interviewed

for this purpose, he informed. This weekend 28 HIV positive women activists from

14 districts were trained here as investigators by IMPACT team comprising Manish

Subharwal, Sanjai Gupta and Smriti Verma. Within this advocacy based project a

series of activities will be carried out to gather enough information to draft

the " minimum support package " as entitlement for women living with HIV, for

which the government of Rajasthan will make commitment to provide as their basic

right to live with dignity.

A year long campaign in this connection was inaugurated by Rajasthan Health

Minister Imaddudin Ahmed and noted film star of yesteryears and goodwill

ambassador of UNICEF, Sharmila Tagore earlier this year.

http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/28/stories/2010062859390500.htm

Thanks and Regards

Brijesh Dubey

President, RNP+

brijesh dubey <rnpplus@...>

Rajasthan Network for People Living With HIV/AIDS

64, Mahadev Nagar, Chittrakoot,

Vaishali Nagar, Jaipur-302021 (Rajasthan)

Phone: 0141- 2353469, 4030861

Fax : 0141- 2353469