The Meghalaya government is thinking of enacting a new law to make HIV/AIDS testing mandatory before marriage, in view of increasing number of cases in the state, Health Minister Emperan Lyngdoh said on Friday.
He said that Meghalaya is at the national level at the national level in terms of spreading HIV/AIDS, a total of high burden in the Northeast region.
“If Goa has made the test mandatory, why should Meghalaya not have its own set of laws? These laws will benefit the large community,” Lyngdoh told PTI.
“The state is ready to take mentally strong action,” he said.
The Health Minister attended a meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Preston Tensong, in which a mission mode also participated in a mission mode to formulate a comprehensive HIV/AIDS policy by East Khasi Hills District Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh and eight MLAs.
Heath Department has been directed to prepare a cabinet note for policy.
The Health Minister said that in consultation with bureaucrats and medical professionals, the government will hold similar meetings in Garo Hills and Gentia Hills areas to develop field-specific strategies.
He expressed an alarm on the spike in cases, revealing that East Khasi Hills alone filed 3,432 HIV/AIDS cases, out of which only 1,581 patients are receiving treatment.
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He said, “We have only talked about the East Khasi Hills, and the number is very high. The state is most unfortunately in the Gentia Hills region, both in the West and East,” he said.
The Health Minister also stressed that awareness is no longer a major issue, but the real challenge lies in improving testing and screening.
He said that 159 deaths have been held responsible for the loss of antiretroviral therapy (ART) treatment in the district.
“We must ensure that all those who have been tested have been brought into the treatment system. HIV/AIDS is not fatal. If treated properly, like cancer or TB,” he said.
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The minister said that the primary mode of transmission in the state is sexual contact, saying that the use of drug is not yet a major factor due to challenges in identifying users.
(Tagstotransite) AIDS (T) HIV positive
