New Delhi, March 21 (BNP): The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, through the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), convened the ‘Suraksha Sankalp Karyashala’ in Delhi to accelerate district-level HIV/AIDS response, with a focused approach on Haryana and the national capital.
The workshop, chaired by Rakesh Gupta, aimed to strengthen data-driven, district-specific strategies to improve prevention, testing, treatment, and overall service delivery for HIV/AIDS.
In his keynote address, Dr. Gupta stressed that HIV/AIDS continues to be a significant public health challenge, requiring coordinated and sustained efforts across all levels of governance. He highlighted the global 95:95:95 targets, which aim to ensure that 95 per cent of people living with HIV know their status, 95 per cent of those diagnosed receive treatment, and 95 per cent of those on treatment achieve viral suppression.
Reviewing current progress, officials noted that Delhi faces critical gaps, with only about 70 per cent of identified individuals linked to treatment, while Haryana has achieved an encouraging cascade of approximately 81:83:95, though further improvements are needed in diagnosis and treatment linkage.
The workshop also emphasised the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, which can be prevented through timely testing, counselling, and treatment during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding.
Officials said 219 districts across the country have been identified as priority areas for intensified HIV interventions, including 7 districts in Delhi and 11 in Haryana. District-level teams participated in the workshop to present progress, identify challenges, and develop targeted action plans.
Dr. Gupta called for a “whole-of-system” approach, urging stronger coordination between national, state, and district stakeholders to address gaps in awareness, testing, and treatment adherence.
He also outlined India’s goal of bringing HIV/AIDS under control by World AIDS Day 2027, with an enhanced target of achieving 95:95:99 metrics in the coming years.
The workshop forms part of India’s broader strategy to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, focusing on evidence-based interventions, improved treatment access, and reducing stigma and discrimination.
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