Bihar legislators resolve to form legislative AIDS forum

Patna, June 24 (UNI) Bihar legislators today resolved to constitute a state level body on the lines of Parliamentary forum on AIDS to create public awareness about the measures and ways for prevention of the dreaded disease and also for providing better treatment to patients.

At a workshop organised here at the initiative of Parliamentary forum on AIDS, UNICEF and Bihar Government, all legislators of both the houses of the state, approved the proposal in this regard which was placed in the meeting by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA and former minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui.

In his inaugural address, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar emphasised on the need of 'self control' to check the spread of AIDS. He said the government had ensured that 'auto destructible syringe' be used in all the state government hospitals. With this decision, spread of the AIDS disease through blood transfusion would be controlled to a great extent. On the aspect of creating awareness, he said the government had little role to play but it would provide assistance and financial support to organise seminars and workshop for creating awareness about the disease.

Mr Kumar said the government would organise meetings in Patna to educate more than two lakhs newly elected representatives of panchayats and local bodies on issues of public importance such as agriculure,rural development and others. The state government would ensure that these representatives be educated on prevention of AIDS in the proposed meeting, he added.

Earlier, addressing the seminar, assembly speaker Uday Narain Chaudhary said there was a 15 time increase in the number of cases of people infected with the HIV virus in India during the last 15 years. On Bihar, he said 12 districts were worst hit. He said the poor were more likely to suffer form this menace as they travel to other states in search of livelihood and in absence of proper awareness become victims. ''Truck drivers operating on the G T Road had been identified as the major carriers of HIV virus,'' he added.

UNAIDS Country director Dr Denis Brown identified the roles to be played by the legislators to check the spread of AIDS. ''As law makers, legislators can help draft and pass legislation to guarantee universal access to information,prevention, treatment and services to safeguard equity, confidentiality and dignity,'' he suggested.

As the link between the people and the government, the legislators should engage communities, opinion building leaders and PRI institutions to create a groundswell for AIDS awareness and action, he said.

Mr Brown called upon the legislators to make plans, budgets and monitor mechanism to strengthen local responses at the community level.

UNI XC-RS LS VC1722