Deputy Commissioner Divya Prabhu speaks after flagging off AIDS awareness rally in Dharwad.
Credit: Dh Photo
Dharwad: There is no need to fear AIDS. What we need is precaution, awareness, and understanding. The HIV/AIDS positivity rate in Dharwad district has been declining and now stands at 0.38%. Let us work together to bring this down to zero and make Dharwad an AIDS-free district,” stated Deputy Commissioner Divya Prabhu.
She was speaking after flagging off an awareness rally organised by the District Health and Family Welfare Department as part of World AIDS Day in Dharwad.
She said that HIV/AIDS has been affecting humankind for the past 40 years. To eliminate AIDS completely from society, prevention and awareness programmes have been extended from the district level to taluk and village levels.
To spread awareness, Information, Education and Communication (IEC) programmes are being carried out across all taluks and villages through folk-art teams, ensuring that information reaches every household. Pamphlets, posters, wall posters and various media are being used extensively for publicity. Youth-focused awareness programmes are also being conducted across the district, she added.
Dharwad district currently has 11 Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres (ICTC), 32 PHCs with F-ICTC facilities, 1 PPP centre, 2 full-fledged ART centres, 2 STI treatment centres, 10 blood banks, and 5 support and care centres. All government hospitals provide free testing, free treatment, free medication, and care for HIV-positive and AIDS patients, she noted.
To safeguard the health of infected or vulnerable orphaned children, necessary measures have been taken under the District Child Protection Unit’s special foster-care scheme, which has supported 2,037 children so far. Through the Anna Antyodaya programme, 371 HIV-affected individuals have been provided assistance, and under the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Housing Scheme, 476 beneficiaries have been
selected for housing. Various government benefits, including skill-development
training, are being extended, the Deputy Commissioner said. Senior Civil Judge P F Doddamani and DHO S M Honakeri also spoke.
The awareness rally began at the DHO office and passed through Dharwad Old Bus Stand, Vivekananda Circle and Alur Venkatarao Circle before returning to the DHO office.