Health Minister Dr. Rajiv Bindal, while presiding over the review meeting of State AIDS Control Society said that the society was doing commendable job. Dr. Bindal said that in 2007 there were only 19 Integrated Counselling and Testing Centers (ICTC) whereas the strength of such centers has gone up to 40 as on today, thereby registering more than hundred percent growth, adding that prior to 2007 there were no ICTC Mobile Van and no such ICTC facility centers in the State and it was due to the farsightedness of Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal that today two such vans were providing services to the people besides the Government had opened 12 ICTC Facility Centres and one more such centre would be opened shortly.
He said that the people of the State had become more aware of AIDS and other fatal diseases and the number of people who had got themselves medically examined for HIV as a precautionary measure had increased from 40053 in 2008 to 121545, adding that in the year 2008, as many as 18000 women got tested themselves for HIV which increased to 41294 in the year 2011. He said that the present Government had taken protective measures in this direction.
The Minister said that as of now four Blood Transportation Vans were present in the State whereas there was none earlier. Besides, one Mobile bus was had also been provided for organising Blood Donation Camps in the State. Apart from this 347 Blood Donation Camps were organised as compare to 206 earlier and the voluntary donation amount had also been increased from 15000 to 19000, said the minister.
He said that three Anti Retroviral Therapy Centers were functioning in the State whereas there was only one such centre earlier. He said that the Government during its four years regime had implemented various schemes in health sector thereby creating awareness among the people and various campaigns for controlling AIDS had yielded positive results.
