BHUBANESWAR: Even as around 40 per cent of new HIV infections in Odisha are detected among youth and the prevalence of the virus among youngsters is one of the highest in the country, the state government is yet to formulate its own rules and regulations for prevention and control of the deadly disease.
States are supposed to frame specific rules in accordance with the HIV and AIDS Prevention and Control Act, 2017 notified by the Centre and appoint an Ombudsman to combat the disease and address the grievances of patients besides making the officials accountable. Though six years have passed since the Central Act came into force, 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.
Health experts pointed out state-specific rules would have helped strengthen the existing programmes by bringing in legal accountability, and establish formal mechanisms for inquiring into complaints and redressing grievances.
Sources said the process to formulate the rules started four years back is yet to complete due to varied factors including frequent transfer of project directors of Odisha State AIDS Control Society (OSACS) that has been constituted in line with the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).
The state has over 52,000 HIV-positive people and among them 10 per cent are from the age group of 15 to 24. The number of high-burden districts has meanwhile increased from seven to nine after addition of Cuttack and Nabarangpur. A Health department official said OSACS had begun the process to notify the rules in 2019, a year after the central act was notified. “The notification has been delayed due to shifting of officers entrusted with the job. The delay in consensus over appointment of an Ombudsman is also responsible for it,” he admitted. Meanwhile, OSACS has again started the process for notifying the state specific rules.