New Delhi: In a boost to family planning
measures and controlling AIDS, the Government has earmarked
nearly Rs 400 crore for increasing the coverage of eligible
couples under a programme which includes free distribution of
oral birth control pills and condoms.
A total of Rs 55 crore has been allocated for free
distribution of contraceptives like oral pills, IUDs, tubal
rings, E-pills and laparoscopes to the state government for
distribution to couples free of cost through sub-centres,
primary health centres (PHC), community health centres (CHC)
and hospitals.
Under the project, 450 lakh cycles of oral pills, 75
lakh pieces of IUDs, 25 lakh packs of emergency contraceptive
pills and 217.48 lakh pregnancy test kits are to be supplied
to the health centres.
The procurement for condoms would be made as per the
demand projected by the states and Union Territories and will
be supplied to them during the financial year.
Apart from this, oral pills would be available to
eligible couples through social marketing organisations.
Condoms would be provided to the states for
distribution to eligible couples free of cost through
sub-centres, PHCs, CHCs, hospitals. Condoms will also be made
available to the eligible couples through condom vending
machines.
The cost for this project, to be headed by the
National AIDS Control Organisation, would alone be Rs 304
crore.
The focus would also be on social marketing of the
condoms.
Funds amounting to Rs 50 lakh would be directly
released to Senior Medical Officers (SMO) in Government
hospitals for projects approved by them in specific areas.
According to 2006 estimates, the national adult HIV
prevalence in India is approximately 0.36 per cent, affecting
between 2 and 3.1 million people. If an average figure is
taken, this comes to 2.5 million people living with HIV and
AIDS, almost 50 per cent of the previous estimate of 5.2
million.
More men are HIV positive than women. Nationally, the
prevalence rate for adult females is 0.29 per cent, while for
males it is 0.43 per cent.
This means that for every 100 people living with HIV
and AIDS, 61 are men and 39 women. Prevalence is also high in
the 15-49 age group (88.7 per cent of all infections),
indicating that AIDS still threatens the cream of society and
those in the prime of their working life.
While adult HIV prevalence among the general
population is 0.36 per cent, high-risk groups, inevitably,
show higher numbers. Among Injecting Drug Users (IDUs), it is
as high as 8.71 per cent, while it is 5.69 per cent and 5.38
percent among Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) and Female Sex
Workers (FSWs), respectively.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 10:04