Agencies
IMPHAL, MARCH 2
Highlighting the plight of People Living with HIV and AIDS (PLHIVs) in the state, various NGOs submitted a joint memorandum to chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh on Saturday, after a meeting between representatives of Women Action for Development, Christian Network for Positive Women, Platform for Positive Women, Self Support Group, World Vision, CoNE and FXB was convened here.Apart from urging the government to pass the revised Manipur State AIDS Policy, 2010, in the ongoing assembly session, the memo sought to make all entitlement schemes and benefits available to PLHIVs.
The memo urged the government to ensure that laboratory testing and investigations for HIV/AIDS patients be made free of cost in all government hospitals and Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) centres. This would include treatment for opportunistic infections and related illnesses like hepatitis C. The NGOs also demanded that basic amenities such as drinking water, sanitation and seating arrangements at all ART centres should be provided to PLHIVs.
Manipur is one of India's six high HIV/AIDS prevalence states. According to the latest report prepared by Manipur State AIDS Control Society (Macs), the state has 43,707 PLHIVs. Of this number, 11,878 are women and 2,780 are children.
As a result of the government's failure to implement such measures, PLHIVs face acute challenges in accessing basic healthcare, supportive medicine, food, education and housing. The memo highlighted the increasing poverty levels among Manipur's HIV positive community and stated that increasing prices was a major threat to the infected population as it decreased access to basic commodities.
The NGOs demanded the appointment of adequate doctors in government hospitals to deal with HIV cases, especially gynecologists for female PLHIVs. Increasing accessibility of ART at treatment centres and installing and improving CD4 count and viral load testing machines at such centers were some of their other demands.
The memo, a copy of which was forwarded to Manipur speaker Th Lokeshwar Singh, health minister Phungzathang Tonsing, social welfare minister A K Mirabai Devi and MLA I Ibohalbi Singh, stated that the NGOs had earlier put forward their demands to the government, but in vain.
