Demand to form welfare board for people living with HIV/AIDS
The Tamil Nadu AIDS Control All Employees’ Welfare Association has urged the Health Secretary to set up a separate welfare board for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Members of the association met with Health Secretary Supriya Sahu and submitted a memorandum recently.
They urged the Health Secretary to grant a 20% hike in salary, akin to those working in government hospitals, for those employees working in the Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society’s Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres (ICTC) in Primary Health Centres. They also placed a demand to drop the plan to close down ICTCs, a statement read.
M. Cheralathan, State general secretary of the association, said there are 1.45 lakh people living with HIV/AIDS in the State, and a welfare board would help them to avail themselves of benefits/concessions.
Already, the National AIDS Control Organisation has closed 82 ICTCs in the State, and another 104 are going to be shut. “The reason cited is the reduction in the HIV positivity rate. The fact is that the number of tests done per year has been reduced and, hence, a reduction in the positivity rate is being projected. This is a wrong representation. Steps should be taken to stop the closure of ICTCs,” he said.
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