Guwahati: The National AIDS Control Organisation (Naco) on Thursday embarked upon an ambitious plan — HIV intervention for women living in jail and remand homes — being run by the Assam government as well as the ministry of women and child development in the state. Disclosing that health ministry started a similar intervention programme for jail inmates recently in the state, director-general of Naco, Sanjeev Kumar, said these remand homes have been asked to organise periodic sensitisation workshops for officials managing correctional institutions to ensure effective implementation of the programme.
Informing that almost all the inmates are expected to return back to the community where they came from sooner or later, Mr Kumar said that the initiative — HIV intervention — would largely benefit the overall aim of halting and reversing the HIV epidemic. Though Assam is categorised as low HIV prevalence state, it is estimated that there are 928 new HIV positive cases. The ministry considers Assam as a highly vulnerable state for HIV transmission because of its close proximity to three high prevalence states of Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland. Mr Kumar pointed out that the Naco in consultation with key stakeholders has developed a comprehensive plan to roll out HIV interventions in prisons and other correctional institutions. He said that it is important to note that once the person is infected, they need to be treated at the earliest. The inmates living in correctional institutions are considered as to be the special groups under national AIDS control programme of the health ministry, he said. The health ministry on Thursday launched HIV intervention programme in presence of Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at a government-run remand home here.
