Attacking AIDS in India

HIV/ AIDS are too attacked at all levels in India to over come disaster. Prevention as well as control of this dreadful disease is being taken in a full fledged condition. Millions of dollars are flowing in to attack this menace. Bill Gates leads them all in contributing $100million grant. There is a prediction that 30millions will be attacked by AIDS in India. Govt. of India has raised to the fullest extent to save the innocent and poverty stricken Indians from this AIDS. The drugs available are expensive to overcome this problem and the TamilNadu State AIDS Control Society feels that one has to spend Rs3000/month for medicines alone. Hence crores of foreign funds have to be spent for drug apart from propaganda services to prevent HIV/ AIDS.

National AIDS control organization helps the people living with AIDS for the past 20 years. The first attack of AIDS in India was identified by Suniti Solomon. Another lady by name Khausalya mooted the idea of starting positive women's network in Chennai. She admits that more money is spent for expensive publicity rather than for care of the HIV- AIDS patients. This is probably disheartening as many still suffer for want of medicines, ward beds and isolated accommodation. The TamilNadu state govt. gives a helping hand but it is not sufficient to meet the demand. Mother to Child's Transmission Project was started by TamilNadu and it had successfully implemented it in more than a dozen medical college hospitals in the state and in many districts headquarters hospitals. Though it is expensive much attention is given to anti retroviral therapy offered to several lakhs of pregnant women. Dr. Suniti Solomon claims that

TamilNadu leads other states in India when considering the rigorous campaign against HIV/AIDS and intensive care taken in hospitals like Tambaram hospital specially meant for this dangerous disease. Every month the no. of patients approaching for treatment has been increasing from 700 to 2000. The facilities available to tackle it are in a bad condition. There are only 700 and odd beds even though in-patients have crossed 1000. In Tambaram many are made to lie on the floor and verandah which itself spreads to the visitors and the entire arena badly. The staff strength has also to be improved as they have many vaccines yet to be filled up says Suniti Solomon. These staffs are meant to provide neat and tidy surroundings as the treatment for HIV/AIDS mainly demands such an atmosphere. Once this aspect is neglected, then the situation worsens. Frequent washing of floors with disinfectants, washing of bed spreads bed sheets with hot water sprinkled with dettol, enabling patients to be mosquito and fly free are some of the activities to be undertaken. Disposal of hospital wastes too play a vital role.

In the center, the govt. of India, with all vehemence implements the anti AIDS program through National AIDS Control Organization which monitors all programs of India. To attack AIDS, proper data are to be collected to manage the recovery program. Hence the Center for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes does an excellent job in Delhi to feed the public and the philanthropists about the increasing parasite. The people who are well off never report it to govt. authorities or govt. hospitals and instead they undergo all therapies in private nursing homes secretly. Such figures are not revealed to the public which may exceed several lakhs say the data collection center staff.

National highways in Maharastra, tourist spots in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, TamilNadu, Orissa, and West Bengal cases of AIDS are reported due to floating population who are in contact with prostitutes. Most of the cases are from the age group of 16-45 who are sexually active and economically productive.

In India the total health expenditure is 4.9% of GDP. Child mortality m/f per 1000 is 89/88 and adult mortality m/f per 1000 is 291/222 says the health statisticians. The health service organizations proclaim that HIV/AIDS in India spreads fast due to urban prostitutes, migrant workers, and truck drivers, unsterilised needles in petty nursing homes and in uncared health centers. Blood transfusion has in large number caused AIDS in India, reports a leading physician in the north. Proper testing is lacking before offering blood to a patient.

Rajeev Gandhi, the former PM of India, introduced the Panchayat Raj. It aims governance at the grass root level. Now the health care implementations in India have been handed over to Panchayat Raj institutions. So any health problems will be analyzed and attacked at district and sub-district level.

The aims of National Rural Health Mission are to be fulfilled through this method only in India says the present PM. Around Rs700cr have been allocated to improve health care in India. Well trained females in this aspect will do the needful through out India to cater the states which are badly in need of basic health care to the people. There are many lakhs of community health centers in ignored conditions without basic amenities and infrastructure. So the allocated funds will be spent on it to improve health care. To make the hospitals function in a unique manner, Indian Public health standards have been introduced. So the

community health centers will have all facilities as per these standards only. Any deviation will be pondered into meticulously.

Not only the economically backward Indians but also the military forces are attacked by HIV/AIDS. For them AIDS centers are located with intensive care treatments. One is the Salvation Army HIV/AIDS Anonymous Testing Center and Counseling Center, 84 Sankhee Street, Madanpura Byculla, Mumbai-8. Also we have R.R Hospital in Mumbai cater the needs of the Indian army men. There are 2million NGO's in India for the welfare of better environment and good health. Most of them are lead by women folks who do a very good sacrifice for eradicating AIDS.