The Hindu Business Line : `Healthcare costs for corporates could go up due to HIV/AIDS'

Speaking to Business Line, Mr J.V.R. Prasada Rao, Director (Regional Support Team), Asia-Pacific, UNAIDS, said: "Unlike South Africa, companies here may not face the problem of labour shortage due to high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, but their healthcare expenditure will go up. With the Government planning to come up with a legislation on HIV/AIDS that would seek non-discrimination at workplace, access to services, and insurance, companies would have to play a more pro-active role."

He added that the costs of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) are also quite large.

"Cost of the first line of ART is quite high and this goes up for patients on the second line of treatment (or are in an advanced stage of the disease)."

On India's efforts to tackle the problem of HIV/AIDS, Mr Rao said that the response has been comprehensive. "But we need to scale up the measures. India is the only country that has a national sentinel surveillance system in place. However, there has to be focus on the Northern belt - UP, Bihar, and so on."

The advocacy programme in the country needs to trickle down to the grassroots level.

The Parliamentary forum at the national level has been quite effective in spreading the message of HIV/AIDS and this has to trickle down to the State- and district- levels.

UNAIDS is currently focusing on four countries - India, China, Pakistan and Indonesia, where it is working towards curbing the spread of the disease.

"China has a huge population and only recently the Government reiterated its commitment towards prevention of spread of HIV/AIDS. Pakistan is yet to recognise and prioritise this disease," Mr Rao said.

Meanwhile, the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) today launched an e-consultation on India's AIDS control plan, which will provide a platform to civil society to come forward and shape the next phase of the national AIDS programme.

This is the first time India will be consulting the whole civil society to input into its national AIDS control policy.

Dr S.Y. Quraishi, Project Director of NACO, said: "We have an opportunity to develop a plan that will, in the next five years, effectively control and reverse the spread of the epidemic that touches our lives in several ways. Over 950 Indian NGOs are already working with us in this fight. We need their input and experience to develop a plan that takes in consideration everyone's voice and concerns."

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