SHILLONG, June 25: In what can be termed as alarming, close to 400 people have died in Meghalaya to date due to HIV/AIDS.
Informing this on Tuesday during the handing over of an outreach vehicle to the Meghalaya State Network for Positive People (MSNP+), Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh revealed that a total of 396 people have died in the state due to HIV/AIDS so far.
Expressing concern over the treatment gap, the health minister assured that the government is committed to ensuring that no HIV patient is turned away from hospitals due to a lack of medicines.
Lyngdoh also highlighted the menace of drug abuse as a growing contributor to the rising number of HIV cases in the state. She said the government is collaborating with the Social Welfare Department and the DREAMS Mission to address the dual challenge of substance abuse and HIV.
“We want to make sure support reaches every corner of the state,” she stated, underlining the importance of community-based outreach to tackle the issue effectively.
Lyngdoh also stressed that people living with HIV should not be isolated from the community and said it is time to tackle the challenge of HIV head-on.
Additionally, the health minister raised the issue of commercial sex work—another key factor in HIV transmission—and emphasised the need to address it without moral judgment.
She informed that the government has launched an Integrated Health Campaign to bring HIV/AIDS into mainstream discussion, especially as the situation becomes increasingly serious in Meghalaya.
Meanwhile, the outreach vehicle handed over to MSNP+ is aimed at strengthening field-level support for people living with HIV/AIDS. The vehicle was funded by the Speaker of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.
