Agartala, January 19 (TIWN): Tripura State Network of Positive people (TSNP) association of Tripura calls for extending helping hands towards HIV infected persons. On Monday the assiociation gathered near the statue of Gandhiji at Circuit house, and urged everyone not to look downward towards HIV affected persons

Talking to TIWN, the General Secretary of the Association, Samir Banik told that,”Aids infected persons are the part of the society.” If society extends help to them, they can live normally in the society and can come out with a better future. But it is very heart breaking that they are looked down as a down trodden of the society. Besides that the State Government also cannot take proper steps to secure their future as well as to arrange awareness programme to spread message not to disobey those persons.Mr. Banik also told that, if the Government will extend help, the association will arrange awareness campaigns at District and Sub-divisional level.

 Further he also alleged that despite specific direction of National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) and ministry of health except Agartala Govt Medical College (AGMC) and GBP Hospital, HIV test of pregnant women are not made mandatory in other hospitals.‘In some cases health workers are not following prescribed precaution in operation theater, which increasing the incidences of HIV positive,’ Mr Banik alleged.

It is to be mentioned here that, According to the recent report from the Tripura Aids Control Society (TACS) a total of 143 people including 15 pregnant women were tested HIV positive this year, whereas last year as many as 72,000 blood samples were tested of which 225persons were found to be positive and 70 pregnant women tested HIV positive in the past three years. Currently there are 68 centres for HIV test in the state which would rise to 82 by the next year