Union Health Minister JP Nadda launches 'Project Sunrise'
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 06 2016 : Union Minister (Health and Family Welfare), Government of India, JP Nadda has launched Project Sunrise today at City Convention Centre, Palace Gate, Imphal.

Project Sunrise is a five year programme aimed at complementing the ongoing National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) which is to primarily improve coverage, quality and scale of HIV interventions among People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) in eight North East States.

Activities of the project are to be implemented through the existing system in close co-ordination with State AIDS Control Societies (SACS) in the eight States.

Union Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda who launched the Project Sunrise stated that the NACO programme is to be continued with the same spirit and it will not deviate from the original programme.

It is an additional supplement to the programme which is still in force.

NACO programme which is a routine programme is to be carried out with full intensity.

Special issues which have come up in the North East States need to be addressed in the Sunrise programme.

Prevalence of AIDS has dropped consistently and new infection cases have declined steadily and deaths due to AIDS have dropped drastically in the State and it is because of the hard work and dedication of all the stakeholders, he added.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda launches 'Project Sunrise'

Success has not been as much as it was earlier presumed in the North East States.

It needs thorough understanding.

Prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the State is more than 1.1 percent.

Such project is done with multiple consultations to bring the best ways and means for betterment of the people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV), he said.

Prevalence of IDUs in the country is a matter of concern and its issues and problems need to be addressed with thorough understanding, he added.

He expressed that Manipur is a pioneer in bringing up the State's AIDS policy.

Under Project Sunrise, National Human Resource reduction strategy will be a part of the project and will be implemented in five years.

Approximate cost of the project is Rs 70 crore.

In the entire North East States, the project will be implemented in 20 districts.

The Central Government is funding the NACO projects and the amount would be transferred directly to the State AIDS Control Society through NACO, he stated.

He added that the Central Government is committed to bringing down the prevalence of HIV and AIDS in the country.

During the programme, Minister of Health and Family Welfare Phungzathang Tonsing highlighted the State's response to HIV/AIDS and said that four priority districts namely Imphal East, Bishnupur, Churachandpur and Ukhrul districts are selected from the nine districts.

Various plans and programmes are fully implemented in the State through the Manipur State AIDS Control Society (MACS), Phungzathang Tonsing said.

Meanwhile Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Meghalaya AL Hek also addressed on the situation of HIV/AIDS and the response made by the State Government.

He elaborated on various steps and programmes launched by the Meghalaya Government in various districts of the State in order to bring down the number of HIV/AIDS infection.

Director of Division of HIV and Tuberculosis CDC India, Dr Pauline Harvey stressed on the key strategies of 'Project Sunrise' .

She stated that the project is to assess the pragmatic gaps and barriers, identify strategies for improvement of the organization and delivery of harm reduction services.

Another aspect of the project is to undertake intensive efforts to enhance the capacity of State level institutions including the North Eastern Regional Office and State Training Resource Centre to increase coverage and quality of the comprehensive package of services for the PWID population.

Project Sunrise will implement more customized flexible approach so as to increase the availability and accessibility to clean needles and syringes through secondary distributors such as Government health care facilities, preferred healthcare providers, non-traditional outlets and peer volunteers, she added.

The programme includes lower threshold strategies to improve Opoid Substitution Therapy (OST), coverage and sensitization workshops for law enforcing officials.

It also includes HIV intervention in prison settings, she added.

She further said that the programme includes strengthening linkage with Ministries and Government Departments, community mobilization, intervention among Female Injecting Drug Users (FIDU), Intervention Among Spouses of PWID, establishment of Real Time Monitoring (RTM) system, Implementation of innovative approaches such as community based HIV-testing, safe disposal of used needles and syringes etc.

Navreet Singh Kang, Additional Secretary and Director General, NACO, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India also spoke on the intensification of HIV programme in the North East region.