Health Ministry launched the Test and Treat policy for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) patients.
Key Facts
- New policy, anyone who is tested and found positive will get the necessary treatment free of cost.
- If anyone found positive will be provided with ART (Anti- Retroviral Therapy) irrespective of his CD count.
- Scheme will be a centrally sponsored scheme and all men, women, adolescents and children who have been diagnosed positively can benefit under this new policy.
- Also announced that India will soon develop a National Strategic Plan for HIV for next seven years and these seven years will be crucial for ending AIDS.
- The 90:90:90 strategy that the Ministry has adopted will help to identify 90% of those infected, place 90% of these on treatment and ensure 90% have their virus under control.
- This strategy will offer an opportunity to for ending AIDS by 2030 as a part of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).
- India have nearly 1600 ART and Link ART sites where treatment is provided across the country and recently we crossed the 1 million people on ART.
- India is the second country in world to have such large numbers on free lifelong treatment.
Source : Pib
GS II : Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources