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Scheme will be drawn up to help HIV children, says Rangasamy

— Photo: T.Singaravelou

A WORD OF SUPPORT: Chief Minister N. Rangasamy at the inauguration of Mottukal Nivas, a paediatric ward for HIV positive children of SFDRT, in Puducherry on Thursday.

PUDUCHERRY: Chief Minister N. Rangasamy on Thursday said the government would take steps to draw up a scheme to help HIV positive children.

Inaugurating ‘Mottukal Nivas,’ a paediatric ward for HIV positive children of the Society for Development Research and Training (SFDRT), he said, “The government will provide all help to the HIV positive children through the Health Department. A plan will be framed soon.”

He commended the efforts of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in helping the affected persons and said that the government was, in many ways, helping the organisations.

Member of Legislative Assembly R. Siva requested the Chief Minister to provide adequate help to the HIV positive children. He noted that the Pondicherry AIDS Control Society had not come out with any plan to help the children this year.

The paediatric ward with 20 beds had come up at the cost of Rs. 40 lakh.

The facility was situated at Gorimedu, Secretary-Executive of SFDRT Shyamala Ashok, said.

“We provide food for every child each month at the cost of Rs. 1,500. We have all facilities at the centre, except Anti-Retroviral Therapy for which we refer the children to the Government Hospital,” she said.

The centre has counselling and testing facilities, intensive care unit and separate wards for male and female patients.

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