NAHARLAGUN, Nov 13: A consultative meeting on HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017, was conducted at a city hotel here on Tuesday.
Addressing the participants, National AIDS Control Organisation Deputy Director General Dr Naresh Goel said the act aims at “addressing the stigma and discrimination to the disease, thereby creating an enabling environment for enhancing access to services while safeguarding rights of people living with HIV (PLHIV) and those affected by HIV.”
The HIV/AIDS Act also aims at providing free diagnostic facilities and antiretroviral therapy to PLHIVs, and to “promote safe workplace in healthcare settings to prevent occupational exposure and strengthen system of grievance redressal,” Dr Goel said.
NACO consultant Garima Sharma said the act “needs to be enacted after going through formal procedure in every state within in a given timeframe of 180 days.”
Health Services Director Dr M Lego, who chaired the session, said the HIV/AIDS Act would “help in removing the stigmatization of PLHIV” and suggested adding provisions, as per the state-specific requirement, “with regard to ombudsman.”
APSACS Project Director Dr Riken Rina said cooperation and inputs from all the stakeholders are required to finalize the state-specific rules for the act.
APSLSA Member Secretary Budi Habung stressed on the need of converging activities between the APSLSA and the APSACS for proper implementation of the act, while SP (Crime) Jimy Chiram highlighted the role the police can play in implementating the act.
