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Global AIDS - India
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Interacting with the children at the Press Club here, Ms. Swaraj directed the State Health and Education Departments to ensure that the children attended regular school. The State authorities told the Minister that the siblings would be able to attend regular classes at school within a year. Efforts were on to create a conducive atmosphere for this by creating awareness among students and parents. At present, the children were being given private tuitions at a rented building near their native place at Kaithakuzhi in Kollam district. The children could not attend the school in their locality owing to stiff resistance from some local community members and parents of other children. Ms. Swaraj, who hugged the children and spend time with them, said that society should be made aware that touching and hugging AIDS patients would not cause the spread of the disease. Posing for photographs with the children, the Minister hoped that the pictures would help the campaign to create AIDS awareness among members of the society. |
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Ms. Swaraj said the Central Government had scarce details on children affected by AIDS at birth. A survey would be conducted to study the problem and intervention strategies would be formulated on the basis of the findings.
Anti-viral drugs would be given to children infected with AIDS in
the second phase of the National AIDS Control Programme. "The programme
is very expensive. However, the Centre would take the full responsibility
for its successful implementation," she said. The Minister said
that anti-viral drugs would also be given to AIDS
infected mothers.
The grandfather of the siblings, who accompanied them to meet the Minister, said that the children had no companions. "Nobody mingles with them. They live an isolated existence, shunned by one and all," he said.
Bency and Benson are the children of his daughter who died of AIDS in 2000. The father of the children had died of the disease in 1997.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Sushma Swaraj on Sunday announced a special medical treatment aid to Bensy and Benson, the HIV-infected children in the State, for the next five years.
She said the Hindustan Latex Ltd would meet the expenses as per her proposal.
Her meeting with Bensy and Benson took place at the Press Club here
following her request to meet the children in person.
The Minister's gesture came in the background of the meeting of the children's grandparent, Geevarghese Johny, with President A.P.J.Abdul Kalam along with the children in Kochi on Friday.
He had apprised the President about the social ostracism faced by the children and the family.
Speaking to newspersons after spending some time with the children, Sushma Swaraj said that the case of Bency and Benson was not an isolated one.
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The Minister said the State Health and Education secretaries, whom she met on Sunday, had assured her that all efforts would be made to see that the children would be able to undergo regular schooling in an year.
Now, the children are being given coaching at a separate rented building
adjacent to a government school following resistance from parents of
other children.
Sushma Swaraj, who took photographs with the children, said, "my
picture along with them would be a good campaign material to create
awareness among the people that AIDS would not spread by touching or
hugging.''
She urged the corporate bodies to come forward to adopt such children.
The grandfather of the children, who brought them to the Press Club, said that people of the locality never mingled with them. "Nobody comes to our house or invite us to any function. The children also get no companions to play,'' he said.
Referring to the treatment expenses, he said at least Rs 5,000 was needed in a month for their medicines alone.
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