Confidentiality in HIV/AIDS programme be strictly maintained: Husan Lal

Chandigarh, August 17, 2013- Confidentiality in HIV/AIDS programme should be strictly maintained and name of any individual or the place he belongs should not be disclosed.

Hussan Lal, IAS, Project Director, Punjab State AIDS Control Society (PSACS) said this while presiding over an Interdepartmental Sensitization Workshop for Mainstreaming HIV held here at Parivaar Kalyaan Bhawan.

He emphasised that health interventions alone cannot lead to the prevention of HIV/AIDS but requires a concerted collaborative effort from all organisations in public life through their work and programmes. Considering this as a developmental challenge and not merely a public health problem he highlighted the need of an integrated, inclusive and multi-sectoral approach towards HIV/AIDS to reach all section of population.

He said that the prevalence of HIV amongst Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) in Punjab is three times high as national prevalence due to sharing of Needle and Syringes and posing major challenge for the state. PSACS is implementing Needle Syringe Exchange Programme and running OST programme to address Injecting drug abuse in the state. He said that PSACS is also providing various services to general, vulnerable and infected population to reach all section of population and to create intensive awareness among rural areas. For this purpose it is running various campaigns like Folk Media Campaign and Rural Van Activity for condom promotion and organising sensitisation programmes for rural youth.

Husan Lal asked the Department of Rural Developments and Panchayats to carry out the various innovative initiatives like messaging on telephones to all PRI members, publish articles in their magazine ‘Sada Pind’ and display of HIV messages on their official website and display of IEC material in their offices. He asked Department of Labor agreed to incorporate HIV session into all ongoing Safety Awareness Training Programmes of the department, Department of Social Security, Women and Child Development to conduct this programme in Observational Homes and Juvenile homes and Department of Agriculture, agreed upon the need to sensitize farmers clubs and district officers in the state.

Dr Usha Bansal, Additional Project Director, PSACS stressed upon to have a multi sectoral response to HIV/AIDS in the state, with the joint efforts of all the departments to plan and implement future strategies for initiating mainstreaming HIV/AIDS programme.

Dr. Harinder Bir, Consultant, Civil Society Mainstreaming, PSACS, presentred a power point presentation Interdepartmental Sensitization Workshop for Mainstreaming HIV and Dr. Meenu presented employer led model for industries.

The representatives from all the departments assured that they would facilitate PSACS in mainstreaming HIV in their respective department and share it with PSACS.