Imphal, September 06: Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS, Manipur has appealed to the State Government to implement the 19-point recommendations of the Supreme Court made to the Government of India in connection with ensuring proper care, support and treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS in Manipur as well.

Addressing a press conference at Manipur Press Club here today in connection with the recommendations made by the apex court on August 5 directing the Government of India to implement the same within three months' time, the Network highlighted the problems being faced by people living with HIV/AIDS in Manipur.

The 19-point recommendations of the Supreme Court included setting up ART centres in all the 'A' and 'B' category districts, installation of CD4 count machines, proper maintenance of the ART centres, providing AAY cards and NREGS benefits to all PLHAs, appointment of adequate number of counsellors for proper and confidential counselling, to ensure adequate provision of drugs for treatment of opportunistic infection and HIV testing kits, scaling up the second line ART treatment programme, providing Post-exposure Prophylaxis drugs in all public hospitals, primary health centres and community health centres, submission of status report quarterly by NACO to the Supreme Court, proper treatment of PLHAs by doctors and nurses without any stigma and discrimination and to make functional the helpline of NACO.

Addressing the press conference, K Danny, who is the convenor of Co-ordination Committee of Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS, Manipur pointed out that 2.5 million people are living with HIV in India today.

In such a scenario, the 19-point recommendations given by the Supreme Court to the Government of India for ensuring proper care, support and treatment of the people living with HIV/AIDS was significant.

Urging the State Government to take up necessary measures for effective implementation of Supreme Court directive, Danny lamented that despite Manipur being one of the six States of the country with high prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS, PLHAs continued to face great difficulties in getting proper treatment.

He pointed out that till date no ART centres have been set up in Tamenglong, Bishnupur and Senapati districts while in Chandel district even if there is ART centre no CD4 count machine has been installed.

Moreover, the results of the test conducted by the CD4 count machines at JN Hospital and RIMS are not reliable.

The service being rendered by most of the counsellors in Manipur are also not to the satisfaction of the PLHAs as they are not properly trained and do not have knowledge of adherence and resistance even as PLHAs are being subjected to stigma and discrimination in the hands of the doctors and nurses, Danny said.

The benefits of the AAY and the NREGS are also yet to be made available to the PLHAs in the State, he added, while noting that drugs for treatment of opportunistic infections are also not available in time or in adequate quantity at the hospitals.

Danny informed that the Network would be submitting the directive of the Supreme Court containing the 19-point recommendations in the form of memorandum to the Chief Minister, Health Minister, Project Director of MACS, Health Secretary and Assembly Speaker Dr S Budhichandra.

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