The Hindu : National : Parliamentary committee demands validation of AIDS prevalance figures

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Friday, Mar 14, 2008
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Parliamentary committee demands validation of AIDS prevalance figures

Special Correspondent

Underestimates can result in the problem being ignored, says PAC report

Inflated figures may take resources away from other health programmes
Hopes ICTCs will act as a single window service to cater to all clients

NEW DELHI: Raising doubts over the reliability of the new data on HIV/AIDS prevalence in India released by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), a Parliamentary panel has sought validation of these figures.

The Public Accounts Committee in its 63rd report, tabled in Parliament on Thursday, has said its concern to have Sentinel Surveillance Network based on a systematic and scientific approach had not been adequately addressed by the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry. The apprehension of the committee has increased, especially in the light of the recent slashing of official estimates of HIV/AIDS prevalence in India.

As per the official figures, the national adult prevalence of HIV/AIDS in India is approximately 0.36 per cent, amounting to between 2 and 3.1 million people or an average of 2.5 million people. This clearly indicated that the figure has almost come down to 50 per cent of the 2004 figure of 5.14 million. However, the committee feels that the reliability of this data needs to be validated as inflated figures can be used to take resources and energy away from equally important health programmes and at the same time, underestimates can result in the problem being ignored, the report has said.

Therefore, it is necessary to identify an appropriate agency or an authority and to have a realistic data with periodic revision which is acceptable to all International Health Organisations such as Global AIDS Programme, Global Health Council, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, UNAIDS, and the World Health Organisation.

As regards setting up of integrated counselling and testing centres (ICTCs), the panel hoped that these would function as a single window service to cater to the requirements of all the needy clients.

It also asked the Ministry to provide state-of-the-art equipment and adequate number of qualified technical manpower so that these Centres could provide quality services.

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