Health Ministry signs MoU Ministry of Social Justice for enhanced HIV/AIDS outreach

Health Ministry signs MoU Ministry of Social Justice for enhanced HIV/AIDS outreach

Health Ministry signs MoU Ministry of Social Justice for enhanced HIV/AIDS outreach

Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, stressed the need for a "sub-department of health" in all the ministries as the Health Ministry signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry for enhanced HIV/AIDS outreach.

The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare signed an MoU with the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE) under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE).

The MoU was signed by Special Secretary and Director General (NACO and RNTCP) Sanjeeva Kumar and Additional Secretary (DoSJE) Upma Srivastava.

The MoU will help in reaching out to the marginalised groups and will provide opportunity for empowerment and access to social protection schemes by the high risk population, persons engaged in begging, People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV), and Children affected by HIV & AIDS (CABA).

The Union Health Minister further said that it aims at reducing incidence of social stigma and discrimination against victims of drug abuse and Children and People Living with HIV/AIDS.

“It aims to promote enabling environment based on no stigma and discrimination,”

The MOU will catalyze in achieving the national goals and objectives of HIV prevention and impact mitigation. Through this MoU, the services of various institutes under DoSJE such as National Centre for Drug Abuse Prevention (NCDAP), National Institute of Social Defence (NISD), Integration Rehabilitation Centres for Addicts (IRCAs) will be leveraged for execution of activities laid out in the MoU.