Health Ministry Organises ‘Suraksha Sankalp Karyashala’ to Strengthen HIV Efforts
The Health Ministry held the ‘Suraksha Sankalp Karyashala’ to strengthen district-level HIV/AIDS response, focusing on Haryana and Delhi.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare convened the ‘Suraksha Sankalp Karyashala’ to strengthen district-level HIV/AIDS response, with a special focus on Haryana and Delhi, according to an official statement issued on Friday.
The workshop, organised by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), brought together district programme teams to review progress, discuss operational challenges, and develop action plans aimed at strengthening the HIV response at the grassroots level. It served as a platform for collaborative planning among national, state, and district stakeholders to improve treatment linkage and retention, enhance viral load suppression, and expand outreach among vulnerable and key populations.
Discussions during the workshop focused on strengthening programme implementation through better inter-sectoral coordination, capacity building, and robust monitoring mechanisms. Emphasis was laid on early diagnosis, timely initiation of treatment, sustained adherence to Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART), and eliminating stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS.
Rakesh Gupta, Additional Secretary and Director General of NACO, highlighted the globally recognised ‘95:95:95 targets’, which aim for 95 per cent of people living with HIV to know their status, 95 per cent of those diagnosed to receive sustained treatment, and 95 per cent of those on treatment to achieve viral suppression. He noted that Haryana has achieved an approximate ratio of 81:83:95, indicating progress but also the need for further efforts in diagnosis and treatment linkage.
In contrast, Delhi continues to face significant gaps, with only about 70 per cent of identified individuals currently receiving or linked to treatment, underlining the urgent need to scale up treatment coverage and retention. Gupta stressed that HIV/AIDS remains a major public health challenge and requires sustained focus, innovation, and coordinated action across all levels of governance.
The Ministry further informed that 219 districts nationwide have been identified as priority areas for intensified interventions, including 11 districts in Haryana and seven in Delhi. Delhi has an adult HIV prevalence of 0.33 per cent, with an estimated 59,079 people living with HIV, while Haryana has a prevalence of 0.24 per cent, with around 59,642 people living with the condition.
With Inputs From IANS
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