Deaths due to AIDS in India reduced by 55 pc: Nadda
09 June, New Delhi
Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda has said due to strong political will and efforts taken on elaborate scale, deaths due to AIDS in the country have been reduced by 55 per cent.
It was stated by Nadda while addressing the UNGA high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS at New York, yesterday.
The Minister said India, which faced the specter of disastrous consequences on account of AIDS epidemic 15 years ago, has been able to manage the challenge effectively.
”Deaths due to AIDS have been reduced by nearly 55 per cent since 2007. New HIV infections have been reduced by 66 per cent since 2000 and around 1 million people affected by AIDS are currently on anti-retroviral therapy. ”We have come a long way in our collective fight against the spread of the AIDS epidemic that had engulfed large sections of population across the world. Strong political will and concerted targeted action over the last decade and a half have contributed to strong achievements in pushing back the epidemic,” the Minister said.
He said the number of HIV affected people living on anti-retroviral therapy has increased substantially and the number of annual AIDS-related deaths has gone down considerably.
”These remarkable successes have demonstrated that the target of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 is realistic. Sustained political commitment and action is necessary to address the scale of challenge that still lies ahead,” Mr Nadda said. He said targeted interventions based on close collaboration with and empowerment of communities and civil society with appropriate funding from the government have helped deliver key life saving services to the affected population.
The Minister said these remarkable successes would not have been possible without access to affordable medicines. ”The low cost generic medicines produced by the Indian pharmaceutical industry have been instrumental in scaling up access to HIV treatment not only in India but in other parts of the world, especially in the developing countries most affected by this scourge. More than 80 per cent of the anti-retroviral drugs used globally are supplied by the Indian pharmaceutical industry. The accessibility and affordability of drugs has helped save millions of lives around the world,” he said.
The Minister said India is proud of being one of the leading partners in the global fight against AIDS epidemic. ”We are collaborating actively with a range of partner countries and other stakeholders including the UNAIDS,” the Minister said.