हिंदी
Chandigarh, June 22– Haryana Additional Chief Secretary, Health Department, Sh. Rajeev Arora said an intensive HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign will be started in all the districts of the state wherein HIV/AIDS counselling and testing services will be provided. The Campaign will be held in slum areas, high risk cluster sites, truck unions and taxi stands and a counsellor and a lab technician will be available there.
Sh. Arora was speaking as chief guest at a State Level programme on HIV/AIDS and drug abuse organised by Haryana State AIDS Control Society in Panchkula today.
The event was titled “Be Smart, Don’t Start”. Sh. Arora visited three vans carrying HIV/AIDS awareness message at slum areas, high risk group sites, truck unions and taxi stands in Panchkula district today. He shared that the Department intends to spread awareness about HIV/AIDS and drug abuse, thus, jingles on this subject will be played on loudspeakers installed on these vans
Speaking on the occasion, Director General Health Services, Dr Veena Singh said that although there has been a rise in use of injectable drugs, there has also been an increase in consumption of substances like cannabis, tobacco and use of inhalants. She elaborated that there is high probability that in the near future poor and disadvantaged people will engage in harmful patterns of drug abuse due to economic recession, rising unemployment and lack of opportunities.
Additional Director General of Health and Project Director of Haryana State AIDS Control Society, Dr. V.K. Bansal said that a new approach of community-based screening is being adopted in order to reach out to the population who do not have access to testing and counselling services at Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres under which these high risk population will be screened. As a part of this high risk groups, female sex workers, homosexuals, injectable drug users, truck drivers and migrant populations are contacted in their communities/dwellings and counselling and HIV testing services are provided to them.
Dr. Monika, Additional Project Director, Haryana State AIDS Control Society shared that the Government has set up 9 Oral Substitution Treatment (OST) Centres at Ambala, Sonipat, Bahadurgarh (Jhajjar), Panipat, Faridabad, Jind, Rewari, Hisar and Sirsa.
