OneWorld.net (U.S.)

Health Minister Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss has said that the government recently constituted the National Council on AIDS under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister.

Dr. Ramadoss was speaking at the “Asia Stakeholders Consultation on Confronting HIV, as well as TB and Malaria’ which he inaugurated here last evening. Efforts are on to mainstream HIV into the ongoing activities and programmes of all Departments. He added that the objective is to quickly reach the communities. He also emphasized the need for research to develop a vaccine for HIV.

To tackle the problem of dengue and malaria and other vector borne diseases, he said, that there is an urgent need for policies and strategies, which promote equitable development with ecological safeguards. Such public policies should create supportive environments and strengthen community action for maintenance of hygiene and health in local milieus. This would require inter-sectoral convergence with the partnership of both the public and the private sectors, he added.

The Consultations are being held in New Delhi from April 4, to April 7, 2006. Government of India supported by the European Commission and UNAIDS Secretariat in partnership with the WHO, CARE and CII have called for the Regional Consultation.

The Consultation will build on recent national, regional and international experiences providing the key public, civil society and private partners involved – including networks of people living with HIV and TB – an opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences from Asia and the Pacific, and to agree upon common strategies that will help the communities and governments in the region. The four day consultation will address the health, management and development issues in concurrent sessions, the outcomes culminating into a regional declaration that will identify regional targets for adaptation and action.

Delegates for this Consultation will include public, private and civil society representatives from selected countries in Asia and the Pacific including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

SOURCE: Press Information Bureau