The Hindu : National : NACP-III to be launched on July 6

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NACP-III to be launched on July 6

Special Correspondent

Aims at preventing new infections in high-risk groups

NEW DELHI: The third phase of the ambitious National Aids Control Programme (NACP) will be launched on July 6 when the Government will also release the latest HIV/AIDS figures.

According to the National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) Director-General, Sujatha Rao, the Rs.11,585-crore programme will focus on prevention and treatment. Of this amount, Rs. 8,023 crore will be provided by the Government while the remaining amount will be funded by external agencies.

Epidemic expanding

Speaking at a workshop on AIDS here, Ms. Rao said the HIV epidemic in India continued to be largely concentrated in the high-risk groups. However, there was evidence that more women were being infected and that the epidemic was spreading to rural areas. The NACP- III builds on lessons from earlier programmes and addresses these new trends, she added.

The NACP-III aims at preventing new infections in high-risk groups and vulnerable population. This will be done by increasing the coverage of high-risk groups from current levels to more than 80 per cent with targeted activities. Prevention services for truckers and mobile population will also be scaled up and information and services provided to vulnerable sections, including women and children, with an expansion of coverage to rural and tribal areas. Treatment for opportunistic infections will also be increased.

The NACP-III framework has been designed in consultation with a large number of donors and civil society organisations. The monitoring and evaluation system has been strengthened at the national and State levels to provide information for programme management and evidence-based decision-making.

The U.K. Department for International Development (DFID) has announced £102 million over the next five years in support of the NACP-III. Of this, £ 95 million will be for financial aid and the rest in technical cooperation funds.

The DFID will pool funds with the World Bank to primarily support prevention activities. Other donors include the Global Funds for AIDS, TB and Malaria, USAID and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

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