|
|
HIV and AIDS test will soon be a mandatory test for all the pregnant Indian women.
"We want a HIV free generation. We are for testing all pregnant women for HIV so that no children can be born with the disease," Oscar Fernandes, who head the Parliamentary Forum on HIV and AIDS, said.
"Passing the disease to a new born is a human rights violation. This should stop and all of us must try to make this a success," he said.
Fernandes, has applauded the efforts being taken for providing a better lifestyle for the HIV/AIDS infected people, and said: "The new born should not suffer lifelong without committing any sin. Why should they suffer? Isn't it a human rights violation?"
The former labour minister had held meeting with UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe on Thursday for holding the discussions on the same.
"Sidibe said, 'India must produce a generation without HIV'. This is possible if we go for detecting the virus in every single pregnant women before delivery."
India is home to at least 2.5 million HIV positive people and thousands of babies are born with HIV positive status as they acquire the virus while in their mother's womb.
Sidbe, who visited India for the first ever time has called for the involvement of political leadership so that India’s universal access goals for HIV prevention, care and treatment are achieved.
Fernandes said this would be done by involving the panchayats. "You know, institutional delivery in India happens in around 50 percent of the cases. Here we have to involve the panchayats."
He also mentioned that Janani Suraksha Yojana, which is a safe motherhood intervention under the National Rural Health Mission, will handle the implementation process.
"If we detect HIV before the institutional delivery, it will curb HIV spread. You will see it soon," Fernandes said.
