Indore: Union health minister Jagat Prakash Nadda said on Sunday at Devi Ahilya University in Indore, on the occasion of World AIDS Day, that the immuno-compromised disease can be controlled by 2030 through sustainable development. Setting the new deadline for AIDS prevention, he appealed to eradicate discrimination against AIDS patients.
HIV Protection Act implemented in 2017
"Till a decade ago, people were neither aware of AIDS infection nor was any treatment available. People with AIDS were ostracised. A large number of such people also died due to a dearth of treatment. After the HIV Protection Act was implemented in 2017, efforts were made to ensure the human rights of AIDS patients. Now such patients have got relief from problems like social discrimination and exclusion at the workplace," Nadda said.
Nadda said the renewed AIDS response measures of 'test and treat' and universal viral load testing will be endorsed and the AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act 2017 will be implemented in toto. India has worked out a formula of "95-95-95" given the target of eliminating AIDS by 2030, he added.
"Ninety-five per cent of the patients in the country should know that they are infected with HIV, 95 per cent of the patients should get treatment and the "viral load" of 95 per cent of the patients should be lessened by antiretroviral therapy medicines," he further said.
Deadly Infection can be Stopped by 2030
Currently, India has about 1.73 lakh confirmed HIV patients whereas the actual number will be more."The target of 90 per cent detection, 90 per cent ART and 90 per cent viral testing has been set for AIDS diagnosis. The government will achieve the sustainable development goal towards AIDS by 2030. Due to this, apart from screening 95 per cent of the total population, ART and 95 per cent viral load tests will be carried out to stop the infection," Nadda said.
Public Awareness Against AIDS is Most Important
He said public awareness is of utmost importance to thwart the spread of the infection. "How can this infection happen, and in what ways can we prevent it? Now these thing needs to be told not only to the public but also to the children of Classes 9 and 10 through a campaign. Till now, no such medicine has been introduced that once taken, AIDS patients can live without treatment for the rest of their lives. But the patients and their families can live their entire lives by continuously taking the medicine which the government is providing free of cost," the minister said.
Reduction in Infection by 44 Per Cent
Presenting facts he said, "New AIDS cases have decreased by 44 per cent, while the mortality has gone down to 79 per cent. The global rate of infection is .7 per cent, while for India it is .2 per cent. Despite this, due to the most effective and cheap medicine made available by pharma companies and medical science, today people affected by this infection live their lives in full because the government has provided them with free treatment under the HIV Act. Not only this, the most effective AIDS medicine prepared in India is now being dispatched to South Africa, Latin America and many other countries. This is the result of the country's commitment towards elimination of AIDS," he said.
38 Medical Colleges in Madhya Pradesh
On the occasion of World AIDS Day celebrations, after chief minister Dr Mohan Yadav mentioned the expansion of medical colleges, Nadda said in Madhya Pradesh, the treatment of AIDS is most effective. First 5, then 12 but now 38 medical colleges have come up in Madhya Pradesh. The seats in these medical colleges are 198 per cent more and at the same time, the number of post-graduates in medical colleges has touched 2,587.
