BHUBANESWAR: Eight years after the Central Act mandated state-specific rules and appointment of Ombudsman to control the spread of HIV and address grievances of patients, the Odisha government has finally decided to appoint Ombudsman in five zones and notify the rules.
As per the decision taken at a high-level meeting recently, the special secretary (medical services) of Health and Family Welfare department will be the Ombudsman to monitor and oversee the activities at the state-level while chief district medical and public health officers (CDM&PHOs) of Balasore, Ganjam, Koraput, Sambalpur and Khurda will function as zonal ombudsmen.
During discussions, though representatives from Utkal Sevak Samaj, Karnataka Network for People Living with HIV/AIDS (KNP+) and South 24 PG Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (SNP+) sought inclusion of civil society and people living with HIV community members for the appointment of Ombudsman, source said, their demands were struck down.
Elucidating clarity on the appointment of Ombudsman, project director of Odisha State AIDS Control Society (OSACS) Dr Santosh Swain said there are certain provisions in the Central Act regarding the qualification and experience of the Ombudsman and the appointments will be made accordingly.
A detailed discussion was also held for final notification of the state-specific rules in accordance with the HIV and AIDS Prevention and Control Act, 2017. The Odisha government is yet to notify state-specific rules. The 2017 Act seeks to prevent and control the spread of HIV and AIDS besides prohibiting discrimination against persons with HIV and AIDS.
The process to draft the rules which started six years back, is yet to be completed due to several factors like frequent transfer of project directors of OSACS. The notification of the rules was also delayed due to lack of consensus over appointment of Ombudsman.
Director of Health Services Dr Bijay Mohapatra said the rules have already been drafted and now the appointment of Ombudsman has been decided. “Hopefully, the rules will be notified soon,” he said.
The state has over 48,000 people living with HIV/AIDS of whom 10 per cent are in the age group of 15 to 24. The state government has set a target to achieve zero new infection by 2030.