NACO

 

Vision And Values

NACO envisions an India where every person living with HIV has access to quality care and is treated with dignity. Effective prevention, care and support for HIV/AIDS is possible in an environment where human rights are respected and where those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS live a life without stigma and discrimination.

NACO has taken measures to ensure that people living with HIV have equal access to quality health services. By fostering close collaboration with NGOs, women’s self-help groups, faith-based organisations, positive people’s networks and communities, NACO hopes to improve access and accountability of the services. It stands committed to building an enabling environment wherein those infected and affected by HIV play a central role in all responses to the epidemic – at state, district and grassroot level.

NACO is thus committed to contain the spread of HIV in India by building an all-encompassing response reaching out to diverse populations. We endeavour to provide people with accurate, complete and consistent information about HIV, promote use of condoms for protection, and emphasise treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. NACO works to motivate men and women for a responsible sexual behaviour.

NACO believes that people need to be aware, motivated, equipped and empowered with knowledge so that they can protect themselves from the impact of HIV. We confront a stark realty – HIV can happen to any of us. Our hope is that anyone can be saved from the infection with appropriate information on prevention. NACO is built on a foundation of care and support, and is committed to consistently fabricate strategic responses for combating HIV/AIDS situation in India.

NACO envisions:
·         Building an integrated response by reaching out to diverse populations.
·         A National AIDS Control Programme that is firmly rooted in evidence-based planning.
·         Achievement of development objective
·         Regular dissemination of transparent estimates on the spread and prevalence of HIV/AIDS
·         Building an India where every person is safe from HIV/AIDS
·         Building partnerships
·         An India where every person has accurate knowledge about HIV and contributes towards eradicating stigma and discrimination
·         An India where every pregnant woman living with HIV has the choice to bring an HIV free baby into the world
·         An India where every person has access to Integrated Counselling &  Testing Centres (ICTCs)
·         An India where every person living with HIV is treated with dignity and has access toquality care
·         An India where every person will eventually live a healthy and safe life, supported by technological advances
·         An India where every person who is highly vulnerable to HIV is heard and reached out to

 

Policies And Guidelines

The spread of HIV/AIDS from the high risk groups to general population and from initial hot spots to new areas in India underlines the need for a comprehensive National AIDS Control Policy to effectively control the epidemic in the country.

The HIV/AIDS policies and guidelines in India view the epidemic as a developmental problem rather than a mere public health issue. It is therefore necessary that NACP-III is integrated with various development programmes like the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) programme and the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP). The focus of all these programmes is prevention of HIV transmission.

Among the preventive services are awareness generation, condom promotion, prevention of parent to child transmission, increasing ICTC services, promotion of voluntary blood donation and access to safe blood. The policies also have guidelines on targeted Interventions (TIs) for high risk groups like injecting drug users (IDUs), men having sex with men (MSM), female sex workers (FSWs) etc.

Apart from this, policies have extensive guidelines on the management of common opportunistic infections, malignancies among adult/adolescent PLHA and operational guidelines for ART centres to standardise ART services across the country. The National Policy on Blood Banks ensures adequate supply of safe blood and blood components.

 

 

 

 

 

Programs and Events