Other States - Orissa   

No stock in it, always

— Photo: Lingaraj Panda

A person is trying to use the condom vending machine in vain as it lies defunct at the city hospital compound.

BERHAMPUR: The condom vending machine installed in the City Hospital campus in Berhampur has been just a show piece since past many months.

Although this hospital has counselling and testing centre for HIV positive persons on the campus, the condom vending machine inaugurated with much fanfare remains a showpiece. Even on the World AIDS Day, this electronic condom vending machine had no stock in it. Added to it, if any one put Rs. 5 coin in the machine to get condoms there were chances of the money not getting back.

It hints at the state of preventive measures to check rise of HIV positive cases in Ganjam district, the most AIDS- prone area of Orissa. As per the activists involved in the rehabilitation of HIV positive persons and AIDS awareness like Loknath Mishra of ARUNA, the most HIV-prone people of the district were migrant labourers. Mr. Mishra said these migrant labourers, who usually migrate to Surat in Gujarat, were still shy and ignorant about use of condoms, while they were said to be most effective preventive medium of HIV.

Bhaskar Behera, president of the Rushikulya Network of Positive People (RNPP), an organisation of people living with HIV and AIDS in the district, said if the consciousness about use condom among the migrant labourers could be increased it could reduce the HIV infection drastically. But a survey conducted by ARUNA and Lepra India regarding lifestyle of HIV-prone migrant labourers of Ganjam district states an alarming fact that around 10 per cent of these ignorant migrant labourers know about condoms and a few among them use them.

Mr. Behera said no rallies or public meetings can increase condom use among the HIV-prone persons which according to him needs direct counselling. As per the survey none of the respondents said to be using condoms every time they had sex while with sex workers at their work place away from home in Surat.

The ignorance of these persons can be assessed from the fact that they do not feel it necessary to use a condom as if their partner belonged to the same caste and community.

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