Post News Network
Bhubaneswar: Orissa State AIDS Control Society (OSACS) now wants to change the way it observes World AIDS Day in the state. Instead of spending public money on grand events to observe the day, OSACS plans to emphasise on sharing success stories of people living with HIV.
“We are now planning to change the way we observe World AIDS Day. Instead of spending money on deliberations and other traditional ways, we will focus more on sharing success stories from the community of people living with HIV,” said Chandrika Prasad Das, additional project manager of OSACS, to Orissa POST. He said a programme being organised at Soochna Bhavan to observe World AIDS Day Tuesday will be participated by the state health minister, the health secretary and other officials, among others.
At a state-level gathering of people with HIV organised in Bhubaneswar Monday, ways to live a dignified life despite having AIDS was the topic of discussion. “Countries like Cuba have showed the world how to tackle AIDS. Cuba has now drastically reduced parents-to-children HIV transmission cases. OSACS is also working in that direction, and the cooperation of society is needed to attain success,” said Das.
The gathering was organised by SAATHI, an NGO which works with HIV-infected people, and Lepra Society, an NGO that works for the eradication of leprosy. The gathering also discussed how patients can take the benefits of government schemes by widening their awareness base.
Orissa now has a total of 36,617 people living with HIV, according to data compiled by OSACS till October 31. Around 61 per cent (22,494) of them are male.
