CHANDIGARH: The Haryana AIDS Control Society has expanded the network of its tele-counselling helplines, Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission (PPTCT) Centres and Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centres (VCTC) in the State during the current financial year by adding 15 more Tele-Counselling helplines, 17 PPTCT Centres and four more VCTCs.

The Haryana Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Health, Urvashi Gulati, said here on Tuesday that the PPTCT services had been started at all district hospitals. Initially, PPTCTs were being run at the two medical colleges -- Pt. Bhagwad Dayal Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak and Medical College, Agroha. Under this programme, pregnant women were being offered free counselling and testing for HIV. If found HIV positive, they would be given Anti Retro Viral treatment free of cost to prevent the spread of HIV to the new-born.

She said that the VCTCs had been established at all the district hospitals. Male and female counsellors had been appointed at all these places to provide free counselling. Confidential testing was also being offered.

One more STD clinic had been added this year and now such clinics at all the district hospitals had started functioning where free medicines are given to the patients.

She added that five vacant posts of NGO Advisor, Assistant Director (CP), DPO, Deputy Director (IEC) and Assistant Director (CARE) had been filled up at the headquarters of the Haryana AIDS Control Society and 36 female counsellors, 31 lab technicians and five male counsellors had been appointed in district hospitals in November and December last.

Mrs.Gulati said that 1,09,165 people were identified suffering from Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) during last year and free treatment was provided to them. Under the School AIDS Education Programme (SAEP), 60 State level trainers hade been trained at the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Gurgaon, with the help of National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) during the current financial year. These trainers had imparted training to 4,350 teachers of government schools, who had been designated as School Nodal Officers.

She added that 16 targeted interventions projects were functioning in the State. The NGOs worked with high risk behaviour groups like commercial sex workers, men having sex with men, intravenous drug users and truckers to bring about behavioural change and encourage condom use.

This year four more targeted intervention projects had been allotted. An Anti-Retroviral Therapy Centre (ART) had been set up at Pt.Bhagwad Dayal Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak.

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