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Officials urged to create AIDS awareness

Photo: Linagaraj Panda

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik having a word with Khallikote MLA Sugyani Devi (right) at the workshop at Mandiapalli in Ganjam district on Tuesday. Chikiti MLA Usha Devi looks on. —

BERHAMPUR: Government officials of different fields apart from the ones in medical profession in Ganjam district would now try to increase AIDS awareness among the families in this most HIV prone area of the State.

A district level mainstream workshop was inaugurated by the Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik at NTTF campus at Mandiapalli on the outskirts of the city on Tuesday. This workshop was organised by the Orissa State AIDS Control Society (OSACS) and the Ganajm district administration. This workshop was attended by around 150 government officials of various fields of the district and MLAs of the district. The assistant director of OSACS, Ashok Patnaik and State Health Secretary Chinmay Basu also attended .

Speaking at the inaugural function, the Ganjam district collector, V.K.Pandian urged the officials that they should vow to make half of the families residing in Ganjam district aware of the AIDS threat, its cause and prevention within next three months. “We promise to make every family in this district aware of HIV menace within a year,” he said. According to him officials working in rural areas have direct link with the common mass and these officials can increase the AIDS awareness through direct contact during their usual work and interaction with people.

The Chief Minister welcomed the efforts of the district administration regarding AIDS awareness movement in the district. He informed that this year 36 new Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres (ICTC) for persons under HIV threat would be established in the State increasing their number to 129. Out of these centres 28 are active in Ganjam district. He urged medical staff as well as the officials of other fields to deal the problem of AIDS with a humane attitude. During his visit the Chief Minister also inaugurated four ambulances, two vehicles to carry corpses from hospitals and a mobile blood testing unit to be used in Ganjam district.

HIV infection is at an alarming state in Ganjam district. Till September 2007, this district accounted for 37.8 per cent HIV positive cases in Orissa.

As per official records 35 per cent of the total number of AIDS deaths in the State have occurred in this district.

The recent goal of district administration is to mainstream the HIV prevention message into all government offices, organised and unorganised private sector and civil society organisations in the district.

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