Date:02/03/2007 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/03/02/stories/2007030207040300.htm

Back Cautious cheer to Centre's efforts on AIDS

P.T.Jyothi Datta

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Mumbai March 1 The Centre may take credit for bringing HIV/AIDS "out of the closet". But cheer for the proposed increase in spending to the AIDS control programme is being tempered with some concern on implementation.

As part of the Centre's efforts to achieve zero-level growth of the disease, the Union Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, in his Budget speech had stepped-up spending for the AIDS control programme to Rs 969 crore.

The epidemic will be deemed `stabilised' if the prevalence rate is less than one per cent of the population, he had said. The National Aids Control Programme (NACP)-III, starting in 2007-08, would build on the existing programme and target high-risk groups in all States, he added.

Screening tests

"We will expand access to condoms and ensure universal access to blood screening and safe blood. More hospitals will provide treatment to prevent transmission of HIV/AIDS from mother to child. Support will be given to the protocol on paediatric dosage developed by Indian doctors and launched in November 2006," the Minister said.

But the drug-maker Cipla's Chief Executive Officer, Mr Amar Lulla, told Business Line that success of the budget announcement would depend on programmes that the Centre would roll out to tackle the illness. Past experience has not been very encouraging, he said.

Streamlining of AIDS

Working with HIV/AIDS patients, Ms Anjali Gopalan of Naz Foundation said that it was good that the Government was talking about AIDS and putting money into tackling it, but the concern is really on implementation of the programmes.

Programmes need to be streamlined so that medicines are available in hospitals that are part of the free roll-out programme of AIDS medicines. Since health is a State subject, part of the problem is that resources given by the Centre are sometimes returned, as they are not utilised, she observed. Programmes need to percolate right down to the district levels, she said.

But any procurement of AIDS medicines for such programmes would have to be based on the disease prevalence in the country, said another person working with HIV/AIDS patients. And this has been a sore-point with the Government and other people working in the segment often not agreeing on the incidence of HIV/AIDS. India has an estimated 5.3 million HIV/AIDS people.