The Tripura High Court has issued directives to improve HIV treatment and prevention in the state.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice Arindam Lodh identified three key areas requiring attention: creating more treatment facilities, expanding District Level AIDS Prevention & Control Units, and strengthening the State Level National Narcotics Coordination Portal (NCORD).
Currently, Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) Plus facilities are available at AGMC & GBP Hospital, Agartala, catering to all eight districts. Two Facility Integrated ART (FI-ART) Centres operate in Dharmanagar and Dhalai, with five Link ART Centres in various districts.
The High Court directed the Tripura State AIDS Control Society (TSACS) to request additional FI-ART facilities from the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) within four weeks. NACO will consider the recommendation and make a decision within eight weeks.
The Bench also suggested expanding District Level AIDS Prevention & Control Units to cover more districts. The State Level NCORD, headed by the Chief Secretary, will convene a meeting by October 31 to assess the AIDS Control Programme’s implementation.
Reports from TSACS, NCORD, and NACO must be submitted to the court three days before the next hearing on November 13. The Advocate General will present suggestions for awareness programs to NCORD and NACO for consideration, the Bench directed.
It is pertinent to note that the Court heard a Suo Motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) related to the menace of HIV more particularly amongst the youth of the State.