Indian Express           AIDS campaign: Army gets US pat              
07 September 2004

 

ANURADHA MASCARENHAS          

Posted online: Tuesday, September 07, 2004 at 0157 hours IST

 

PUNE, SEPTEMBER 6: The Royal Thai Army may have set an example for reducing the infection 
rate of HIV in armed forces, but when it comes to ‘‘frankness’’ in countering the disease, 
the Indian Armed Forces is the leader in the region. 
The US Pacific Command has decided to grant Rs 2.5 crore to the military for augmenting 
AIDS prevention programmes — proposed surveys and diagnostic test kits for detection of 
HIV in Indian Armed Forces. The reason — it feels India can be 
a role model for the neighbouring countries. ‘‘Neighbours can teach neighbours,’’ Kim Hom 
Holzman of the US Pacific Command said at the end of a five-day international conference 
here on Monday. 
‘‘As an American, I am proud of the Indian military that it played such an effective role 
in combating AIDS,’’ Holzman said. While the funds were originally meant for Africa, she 
said the second wave of AIDS that has spilled
over to China, parts of Russia and Asia, necessitated a change in legislation. 
Group Captain Mandeep Singh, Director of the Armed Forces Medical Services (Health), said 
countries such as Bangladesh and Nepal have evinced keen interest in the AIDS control 
programme. The Army drafted a new policy on HIV treatment 
schedule in May last year. An extensive kit, developed by AIDS Control Organisation, is 
used by 73 information education and communication nodes established throughout the country 
to control the spread of HIV/AIDS.