Himachal: Jail medical staff given training in health services

Himachal Pradesh: AIDS Control Society in collaboration with Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust organised a two-day training programme for medical officers and staff of all 14 jails in the state. The aim of the programme was to strengthen health services in jails by enhancing the capacity of medical personnel in dealing with infectious diseases. Rajeev Kumar, Project Director, State AIDS Control Society, said the aim of the training was to provide necessary information to medical officers, pharmacists and lab technicians about testing, treatment and control of HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), tuberculosis (TB) and hepatitis. He said timely testing and medical care of all prisoners is important for early detection of infections.

Prompt treatment can effectively manage and cure these infections. He said, “Achieving the ’95:95:95′ target in dealing with HIV/AIDS, TB and STI infections is possible only through comprehensive and seamless testing and health services within jails.” He said India and the United Nations have adopted the ’95-95-95′ target with the goal of eliminating AIDS by 2030. “The initiative aims to ensure that 95 per cent of people living with HIV are aware of their status, 95 per cent of those diagnosed receive treatment and 95 per cent of those receiving treatment achieve viral suppression,” the project director said. He said regular health check-ups are already being conducted in all prisons.