India sets target to reduce HIV cases by 2020

There are about 2.1 million patients currently living with HIV/AIDS in India. About 1.3 million of these are registered with Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) centres and getting the treatment as per the National Aids Control Organization (NACO). These centres have been established to provide free treatment to those living with HIV and AIDS. Their main objective is to remove stigma and discrimination, and to safeguard the rights of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and those affected by HIV. So far, the Central government has 540 ART centres across the nation.

With the aim of bringing down HIV/AIDS cases by 20,000 annually over the next two years, the Union Health Ministry is reaching out to targeted areas where incidences of HIV are much higher, such as prisons and women remand homes. Apart from this, the Government has directed all private and government medical colleges to operationalise Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) centres in their respective institutes for the treatment of HIV patients. The initiative will also gain from the rollout of the world’s largest healthcare program, Ayushman Bharat. 

The HIV/AIDS initiative is important since India is the world’s largest supplier of antiretroviral drugs, supplying over 60 per cent of the global ARV drugs and 30 per cent of the UN Children’s Emergency Funds’ annual requirements. Affordable antiretroviral drugs from India have become a major force in fighting HIV/AIDS in several developing countries. Meanwhile, Ayushman Bharat has provided healthcare coverage for nearly 500 million people.