The program will cover all the central jails, select sub-jails or district jails and other closed settings in the state.
As per studies, the people living in prisons and other closed settings are at an increased risk of HIV infection because they lack access to preventive and care services, making these settings a high-risk environment for HIV transmission. With the intention to improve access and quality of HIV prevention, care and treatment services for people living in prisons and other closed settings of the state, a new intervention program has been launched.
The program will cover all the central jails, select sub-jails or district jails and other closed settings in the state.
The Rajasthan State AIDS Control Society (RSACS) and Rajasthan Prisons Headquarters signed an operational understanding and working agreement in this regard on Tuesday. On behalf of the health department, RSACS project director Dr SS Chauhan and Director General of Prisons Bhupendra Singh signed the MoU.
“HIV testing was already going on in prisons but it was not in a planned way,” Sanjeev Kumar, Additional Secretary and Director General, National AIDS Control programme, Government of India said. “There was no record of data outcome and with this MoU, implementation will be done in a planned manner at all prisons in Rajasthan to get the things in a systematic way,” he added.
On the occasion DG Prisons, Bhupendra Singh said that people in prisons services are already being provided by the health department. Through this agreement, the services will be optimized and designed in a better way.
“There is a shortage of challani guards to take jail inmates outside the jail to a hospital or other places. The challani guards are provided by the police department. Efforts would be made to bring health services near the jail for jail inmates,” said Singh.
Assuring National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), Additional Chief Secretary Health Veenu Gupta said that SACS in coordination with prisons and social welfare department will make the proposed HIV intervention in prisons and other closed settings as a model intervention in the country.
STATISTICS
Central Jails 10
District jails 25
Sub Jails 60
Open Camps 29
Reformatories 03
Total 127
KEY ACTIVITIES
- HIV testing and counselling
- Treatment, care and support
- Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis & etc.
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