Northeast remains a priority, with 60 of the country’s 219 high-priority districts located in the region: NACO official
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Feb 25: As India aims to achieve HIV control by December 1, 2027, under Mission AIDS Suraksha, Meghalaya has put its best foot forward, actively participating in the three-day regional review meeting in Guwahati, focusing on its four high-priority districts viz., East Jaintia Hills, East Khasi Hills, Ri-Bhoi and West Jaintia Hills.
The meeting aims to strengthen district-level planning and implementation to meet national targets.
Speaking at the review meeting in Guwahati on Wednesday, Additional Secretary and Director General of the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), Dr Rakesh Gupta, noted that the Northeast remains a priority, with 60 of the country’s 219 high-priority districts located in the region.
The Guwahati workshop is the first in a series of 11 regional sessions titled “Suraksha Sankalp Karyashala” scheduled across the country through March. These sessions are designed to help districts achieve “Surakshit Plus” status by meeting the global 95-95-99 targets: ensuring 95% of people living with HIV know their status, 95% of those diagnosed receive antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 99% of those on treatment achieve viral suppression.
During the meeting, officials will be reviewing performance indicators, addressing implementation gaps, and developing corrective action plans tailored to local trends. Project directors from State AIDS Control Societies and regional programme leaders are attending the sessions, which are being conducted in batches to allow for state-specific discussions.
The review is expected to result in actionable roadmaps for each state, reinforcing the government’s commitment to ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat under Mission AIDS Suraksha.
