Union Health ministry aims to reduce HIV cases by 2020; directs all medical colleges to run ART centres
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Apart from this, the ministry has directed all private and government medical colleges to operationalise Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) centres in their respective institutes for the treatment of HIV patients.
New Delhi: With an aim to bring down incidence of HIV/AIDS by 20,000 per year for the next two years, the Union Health Ministry is reaching out to targeted areas like prisons and women remand homes as cases in these places are much higher as compared to the general population, said a senior Health Ministry official.
As of now, there are about 2.1 million patients suffering from the disease, however, only 1.3 million are registered with Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) centres and getting the treatment as per the National Aids Control Organization (NACO), said the official adding that there is so much of social stigma around it that people don't come out openly for the treatment.
"We have to develop a system of identifying patients and reaching out to the targeted areas like prisons and women remand homes because cases here are 5 to 6 times more than that among general population. We are working on it and screening patients in these areas and giving them appropriate treatment," the official said.
New Delhi: With an aim to bring down incidence of HIV/AIDS by 20,000 per year for the next two years, the Union Health Ministry is reaching out to targeted areas like prisons and women remand homes as cases in these places are much higher as compared to the general population, said a senior Health Ministry official.
As of now, there are about 2.1 million patients suffering from the disease, however, only 1.3 million are registered with Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) centres and getting the treatment as per the National Aids Control Organization (NACO), said the official adding that there is so much of social stigma around it that people don't come out openly for the treatment.
"We have to develop a system of identifying patients and reaching out to the targeted areas like prisons and women remand homes because cases here are 5 to 6 times more than that among general population. We are working on it and screening patients in these areas and giving them appropriate treatment," the official said.
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