A HIV prevention, treatment and care programme for Punjab prisons was launched on Saturday.
Navreet Singh Kang, Additional Secretary, Health, GoI cum Director General NACO launched the programme during an event held in the presence of Punjab’s Principal Secretary Health, Vini Mahajan, and Punjab’s Principal Secretary Home (Prisons), Sanjay Kumar.
NS Kang said that treatment and care for those living with HIV/AIDS inside prisons should be equivalent to the treatment and care available for the general population.
He said National Prison HIV Strategy is being implemented in a phased manner in the country. Earlier in the phase-1, ‘HIV interventions in prison settings’ project has been launched in February this year in 8 North-Eastern States and is now being launched for Punjab and Chandigarh prisons. He said the key aspect of the program is to ensure post release referrals and linkages for various HIV prevention and treatment services. He said that State Health Department (State AIDS Control Societies) with State Prison Department and TI-NGOs and other stakeholders should institutionalize a mechanism to see to that released offenders are provided with necessary services to ensure continuum of care.
Kang said nearly 21 lakh people in the country are HIV positive, of which about 7 lac people are not even aware of their HIV positive status.
Vini Mahajan, Principal Secretary Health, Punjab, said that Health Department is committed to support the Prisons Department to provide adequate medical care to people lodged in Punjab Jails. While signifying the importance of the HIV Intervention Programme for Prisons, she added that people in the prisons require more health care services than the people outside. She said that presently the programme has been launched by NACO for the eight Central Jails of State; however she also underlined the need to extend the programme to all other jails of the State.
Mahajan said that Punjab’s Health Department has made efforts to depute adequate Medical Officers in Jails. A roster system of six monthly rotational duties for Doctors to be deputed in Jails has already been implemented by the department to make available the services of doctors and specialists in the prisons of State. She said Punjab Government initiated a special programme for strengthening the de-addiction and rehabilitation services in the State in 2012 and now with this initiative of HIV intervention in Prisons the people lodged in jails would further be benefited. She said that recently the State Government has also made the treatment of Hepatitis-C free in all its district hospitals and three medical colleges.
Sanjay Kumar, Principal Secretary-Home (Prisons), Punjab, thanked NACO for launching this initiative to address HIV issues among prison inmates. He said that almost more than half of the inmates living in prisons are under-trial prisoners and they are expected to return to community where they came from, sooner or later, and hence initiating HIV interventions in prisons will help to halt and reverse the HIV trend in the State. He assured the support of State Prison Department to Health Department (PSACS), Emmanuel Hospital Association and NGOs to make this initiative a success.
Hussan lal Project Director, Punjab State AIDS Control Society (PSACS) presented the current challenges in implementing the HIV interventions in Punjab prisons. He also elaborated the various efforts being made by the society in creating awareness among community about the disease along with other initiatives like targeted interventions, ICTC, mainstreaming and youth services.
The inaugural function was attended by Superintendent from 8 central prisons; Emmanuel Hospital Association, Regional Director, Victor Immanuel; and NGO/CBO representatives implementing targeted intervention programme under National AIDS Control Programme.