Himachal AIDS program looks to private sector for establishing HIV testing facilities

Dharmshala: With the target of extending HIV testing facilities, the states health department has invited expression of interest (EOI) for establishing accredited labs under the private public partnership (PPP) mode.

Kangra District AIDS Programme Officer, RK Sud, said that those willing to establish such labs in the state could approach the concerned chief medical officer in the districts.

The labs to be set up in the private sector would have to follow NACO guidelines and would run the facility after entering into a MoU with the HP AIDS Control Society for HIV counseling and testing.

Such private integrated counseling and testing centres (ICTCs) would be NACO certified and government recognized.

This NACO initiative for capacity building and accreditation, will lead to quality assurance about HIV testing in private sector in the state, said Sud.

Currently there are 49 ICTCs being run by the government in Himachal and 50 more integrated ICTC are to be added in collaboration with National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

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3 Comments

  1. says: Sandy

    YES, ONLY 50 ODD CENTRES FOR 60 LAKH POPULATION IS GORSSLY INSUFFICIENT. HAVING MORE ACCREDITED CENTRES WILL DEFINITELY BE GOOD MOVE. BUT WHAT WILL THE PRIVATE CENTRES CHARGE?

  2. says: Puneet Sood

    It is quite necessary to take private sector as an equal partner in the fight against AIDS. This single step will bring the AIDS testing facility more closer to the people.

  3. says: Dr Manju Ahal

    While expansion and decentralisation of services is the way forward one may need to set up systems for centralisation and deduplication of data.

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