Controlling AIDS in Assam

[Guest guest]

Controlling AIDS in Assam

Sir,– Assam State AIDS Control Society is spending crores of rupees

in the name of controlling AIDS in the State every year. The society

has printed banners on costly papers and posters on silk cloth for

wide publicity aiming at creating awareness among the people about

do's and don'ts in AIDS control. But more than 50 per cent of these

posters are found to be rotting in godowns of the Health department

offices in the districts while the silk banners are being used in

other purposes. The Society is also sanctioning fund to NGOs for AIDS

awareness campaign; but the activity of such NGOs is seldom monitored

and as a result the NGOs are more interested in misappropriating the

money rather than doing awareness activities.

So, time has now come to pause and take stock of the outcome of the

Himalayan expenditure made so far by the AIDS Control Society.

According to available statistics, the number of HIV positive persons

has gone upto more than 26000 in the last year from a few thousand at

the time of formation of the AIDS Control Society in Assam.

The number of AIDS patients in Assam rose from 456 in 2006 to 720 in

2007, an increase of about 58 per cent in one year which is an

alarming fact by itself. Maximum AIDS patients are found in Kamrup

district. Last year the district had 249 AIDS patients.

This year the number has risen to 300. All these statistics show that the

efforts of the AIDS Control Society in Assam have somehow gone wrong somewhere.

The aim of the AIDS Control Society as well the NGOs

working on behalf of the Society at grassroots level, should not be

merely spending the money; they should work with a view to make our

progeny safe from HIV/AIDS. Let's prevent AIDS; let's keep our

promise; let it be the aim of the Society.

B SAIKIA,

Dhubri.

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=jan2308/letter