BY BISHESHWAR MISHRA
Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel has said that India’s commitment to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal of ending HIV and AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. While addressing a high-level side event on Revitalized Multilateralism: Recommitting to Ending Tuberculosis Together at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, she highlighted the country’s role as the world’s largest supplier of anti-retroviral drugs, supplying over 70 percent of global medicines in the category.
Mrs Patel pointed out that the country is offering comprehensive HIV and Syphilis testing to all pregnant women with more than 30 million free HIV tests being conducted annually and more than 1.7 million people are receiving free Anti-retroviral Therapy through public healthcare systems. She also said that new annual HIV infections have decreased by 44 percent since 2010, outperforming the global reduction rate of 39 percent.
The minister added that efforts are also being made to address stigma through HIV and AIDS Act, 2017 ensuring that all states appoint ombudsman to handle grievances and promote HIV prevention policies.