Doing away with NACO not good, say activists

Various voluntary organisations working for HIV positive patients in the State fear that the Centre’s move to dissolve the National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) would lead to further complications in regard to Aids control programmes. 

They said that it is too early to do the same without appropriate background work. “The government proposal to integrate the AIDS control programme and implement it under National Health Mission along with other programmes will have an adverse affect on the good work done till now and will increase the death rate due to Aids. The government should have a rethink and continue NACP IV,” said Rajesh Umadevi, advocacy manager, Sangama, an NGO that works with sexual minorities, sex workers and people living with HIV.

“Any move by the government to shrink organisational and budgetary support to Aids response will lead to a reversal and upsurge of the epidemic among the most vulnerable groups and beyond,” said Chikkathimmamma, a volunteer from Ramanagar. 

NACO figures released on September 18 show that the State has 1,06,166 Aids patients. Of them, 99,549 are on antiretroviral treatment and the number of children with HIV as on March 31, 2014, is 6617.