Manipur:
Manipur has more than 32,000 people living with HIV/AIDS. It also has the highest prevalence amongst the high prevalent states of India, which has an estimated 2.31 million people with HIV/AIDS today.
In 2009 alone the state witnessed at least four months of bandh, curfew and highway blockades, which makes it totally inaccessible for people to sustain the treatment.
Its the most critical epidemic in recorded history but people living with HIV/AIDS and those working with them say this year's theme of "Universal Access and Human Rights" falls way short of efforts at making prevention and treatment accessible to all.
Nothing has changed at the ART centre in Manipur's Chandel district since NDTV last visited the hospital two years ago.
Doctors are irregular. There is no room for counselling. The lab facilities are defunct.
For co-infection cases it is worse. Drop-in centers shutting down means drug users cannot access fresh syringes, increasing the risk of new infection.
"The theme makes no sense in India. Information cannot be accessed, healthcare system, economic conditions, transportation, so what is the meaning of universal access in India particularly in the North East," says Jhanavi Goswami , President of Indian Network of Positive People.
According to UNAIDS, India and China cover less than 50% of eligible infected population under ART and 20% under PMTCT. These are shocking figures.
"The big challenge is that we have not been able to uniformly provide access to everyone for treatment and care," says Dr S I Ahmed, Chairman of AIDS Prevention Society.
The global fight against AIDS has somewhat lost its way in confronting the two deadly issues of co-infection and accessibility and making these mere themes and slogans serves little purpose on the ground.
In 2009 alone the state witnessed at least four months of bandh, curfew and highway blockades, which makes it totally inaccessible for people to sustain the treatment.
Its the most critical epidemic in recorded history but people living with HIV/AIDS and those working with them say this year's theme of "Universal Access and Human Rights" falls way short of efforts at making prevention and treatment accessible to all.
Nothing has changed at the ART centre in Manipur's Chandel district since NDTV last visited the hospital two years ago.
Doctors are irregular. There is no room for counselling. The lab facilities are defunct.
For co-infection cases it is worse. Drop-in centers shutting down means drug users cannot access fresh syringes, increasing the risk of new infection.
"The theme makes no sense in India. Information cannot be accessed, healthcare system, economic conditions, transportation, so what is the meaning of universal access in India particularly in the North East," says Jhanavi Goswami , President of Indian Network of Positive People.
According to UNAIDS, India and China cover less than 50% of eligible infected population under ART and 20% under PMTCT. These are shocking figures.
"The big challenge is that we have not been able to uniformly provide access to everyone for treatment and care," says Dr S I Ahmed, Chairman of AIDS Prevention Society.
The global fight against AIDS has somewhat lost its way in confronting the two deadly issues of co-infection and accessibility and making these mere themes and slogans serves little purpose on the ground.
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