Bhubaneswar: The Orissa government o Wednesday
established a model blood bank to ensure safe blood
transfusion protocols across the state where 11,000 persons
with HIV and AIDS were being treated at anti-retroviral
treatment (ART) centers.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that his government
was sympathetic towards those suffering from AIDS and to
ensure greater access for safe blood transfusion, 8 district
level Special Blood Transportation Vans, 9 Elisa Readers and 8
blood banks have been provided?
With Orissa having 19,188 persons with HIV, he said
"but we certainly need to do a lot more in order to achieve
our goal."
He inaugurated a model blood bank at the Capital
Hospital here where a mobile blood van was provided at a
function to mark World AIDS day.
As many as 53 facility integrated ICTCs, 5 ART centers
and 9 link ART centers were made operational from today for
greater access to counseling, testing and treatment, the chief
minister said?
Steps have also been initiated to converge programmes
of HIV and AIDS with National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) to
provide better access and services to people living in far
flung and difficult areas, he said.
Since the disease was linked with stigmas, the
state government has provided food and houses to patients
beinng treated at ART centres.
Over 12,000 persons living with HIV-AIDS were
provided pension under Madhubabu Pension Yojana, Health and Family Welfare minister Prasanna Acharya said.
The state government was also providing free
counseling to HIV-AIDS patiemts through 184 Integrated
Counseling Centers in the state, he added.
PTI
