3 Belgaum legislators adopt 45 HIV orphans

Belgaum MLAs Abhay Patil, Sanjay Patil and Feroz Sait will each adopt 15 HIV+ orphans for 10 years

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Medical Education Minister S A Ramdas on Tuesday said the medical education director and the district health officer would complete the formalities soon.

He said any family can adopt such children by paying Rs 11,000 a year for each child for the rehabilitation. The number of HIV/AIDS orphans has reached 5,000 in the State, he added. Steps would also be taken to provide nutritious food to the children with the help of Central Food Technological Research Institute in Mysore, the minister said.

Of the 2.20 lakh reported cases of HIV in the State, a majority are in Belgaum, Bijapur and Bagalkot districts, the minister said.

Ramdas said the rules on giving the report of HIV+ status after the anti-retroviral therapy should be changed in order to enable the wife or husband of a patient to receive it.

To a query, the minister told mediapersons that as per the Medical Council India guidelines, walk-in interviews will be conducted to fill the posts of doctors, nurses, teaching and non-teaching staff.

Increase in intake
Besides, an appeal would be made to the Council to enhance the intake in medical colleges to 150 to 200 from the 100 to 150, the minister said.

Vadagaon Primary Health Centre would be upgraded to a 100-bed hospital and will be brought under the jurisdiction of Belgaum Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS), he added.