Karnataka - Bangalore

Anbumani raps State on KSAPS

Special Correspondent

The society has seen three project directors in the past year

BANGALORE: The Union Health Ministry has criticised the poor functioning of the Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS) and directed the State Government to ensure that the society gets a full-time project director to put things in order and improve its functioning.

In a two-page letter to Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss noticed "the virtual collapse of the functioning of the KSAPS in view of the frequent changes of the project director — three officers in the last one year."

Dr. Ramadoss said the annual action plan for the current year had not been implemented. The HIV/AIDS programme in the State was in a "sorry state."

Karnataka was one of the six high-prevalence ones in the country. There was considerable concern about the poor performance of the State in the control of the spread of HIV infection. Of the 27 districts, 19 were high prevalence ones. "What is worrying is that HIV infection rates among the young people (15 to 24 years) is the highest in the country at 7 per cent. Five out of the nine districts in the country having prevalence levels above 3 per cent among antenatal mothers are in Karnataka," he said.

Unlike Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka had not been able to stabilise the epidemic, Dr. Ramadoss said.

Minister for Health R. Ashok told the Legislative Assembly that the director had been appointed on a full-time basis for effective implementation of the AIDS control programme.

Replying to a question from Sharanaprakash Rudrappa Patil (Congress) during Question Hour, Mr. Ashok said 95 per cent of the funds earmarked for the AIDS control programme would be utilised by March-end.

Dr. Ramadoss had written to the Government and steps had been taken to set right the functioning of the KSAPS, he said.

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