NSACS flags off ‘Health on bikes’ for seven districts

DIMAPUR — Minister of Health and Family Welfare, P Paiwang Konyak, on Thursday flagged off ‘Health on bikes’ with the purpose to provide comprehensive service packages in difficult areas. The bikes were meant for seven districts namely Mon, Shamator, Kiphire, Zunheboto, Phek, Wokha and Peren.

The ‘Health on bikes’ was flagged off after the meeting of State Council on AIDS (SCA), organised by Nagaland State AIDS Control Society (NSACS). The meeting was attended by representatives from the department of Health and Family Welfare, Food and Civil Supplies, Higher and Technical Education, Rural Development, Transport, Labour and Employment, Social Welfare, Law and Justice, School Education and SCERT, stated an update from NSACS.

The main objective of holding the SCA meeting was to provide policy direction to the HIV & AIDS programme in the state, to mainstream HIV & AIDS in all departments by considering it as a development challenge and not merely a public health problem and to have a multi-sectoral response to HIV & AIDS in the state in partnership with civil society organisations, industry and donors.

During the meeting, the chairman emphasised the critical need to address drug use and addiction in the state and proposed the inclusion of the Home department in the SCA for better coordination and support. He also stressed the importance of early HIV testing and detection among pregnant mothers to initiate timely treatment and protect newborns from HIV.

He further encouraged leveraging social media platforms and influencers for widespread dissemination of HIV awareness messages and assured to hold such meeting on regular interval to provide political and administrative support at the highest level for HIV/AIDS response in the state.

The NSACS project director, Dr. Ahu Sekhose, highlighted the ongoing HIV prevention and control activities in the state. He mentioned the initiatives under the National AIDS Control Programme, which has signed MoUs with 18 departments at the ministry level.

He informed that NSACS has rolled out MoUs with 12 departments in Nagaland and working closely with them to meet state-specific needs and requirements.

Dr. Bernice D. Thapru, NSACS joint director (prevention), provided an overview of the HIV and AIDS programme in the state.

Report stated that the meeting underscored the need to initiate specific social protection schemes and benefits for people living with HIV in Nagaland.

Renabomo Odyuo, joint secretary of H&FW, said the concluding remarks.

It mentioned that the first body of the SCA was formed on June 11, 2008, under the chairmanship of the chief minister of Nagaland. The council conducted two meetings on April 29, 2009, and October 12, 2012. Subsequently, SCA was reconstituted on June 22, 2023, with the minister of Health and Family Welfare as chairman.