Mainstreaming and Youth
Without its acceptance by society, without a variety of institutional and individual stakeholders taking ownership of it, no health issue can be truly challenged or mainstreamed. The Indian experience of HIV/AIDS is telling in this respect. Substantial progress has been made in prizing open the silent spaces, encouraging conversation about the virus and its implications. Yet, to understand mainstreaming one has to be clear of what it entails.
Simply put, mainstreaming is recognition of the reality that HIV/AIDS is not just a medical or public health issue, to be left to doctors and scientists. It is a process that has an impact on and, therefore, necessitates response from all sectors, whether now or in the future. It has, both internal and external implications for each sector. Gujarat is implementing various projects/programmes in coordination with various departments, e.g. Education, Labour, Home, Women & Child Development, Health & Family Welfare and Others.
Various Schemes from Government of Gujarat for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) and Children Living with HIV/AIDS (CLHA) Support
- Project Jatan, for travel assistance to reach at ART center/ Link ART Centre (LAC). In case of adult in the expenditure as travel while in case of children it as travel for child and for accompanying one adult and loss of wage for the adult.
- All Below Poverty Line (BPL) - PLHIV family are included in Antyoday Anna Yojana.
- Under Social Justice and Empowerment Department for support of Rs. 500/month for PLHIV (SEBC and EBC) for Nutritional Support under Medical Aid help scheme for lifelong. Already 2000 beneficiaries are availing this benefit. For the financial year 2010-11, Rs.10 crores allotted for inclusion of all PLHAs in this Scheme.
- Widow Pension- All BPL widow are eligible for Rs. 500/ Month and Rs. 80/ Month per child up to 18 yrs of age (up to 2 children) by Dept. of Social Justice & Empowerment. Agencies working with GSACS help in identifying such women and facilitate their pension
- Education scholarship to infected and affected children of HIV+ve parents
- Education Dept. has sanctioned special leave to CLHA for Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) and Opportunistic Infections (OI) treatment and also for to prevent discrimination and maintain shared confidentiality.
- Two orphanage homes planned at Gandhinagar and Surat by GSNP+ for HIV infected and affected children.
- To allocate time to GSNP+ for sensitization in Boards/Corporate/HOI meetings.
- Palak Mata Pita Scheme (Rs. 1000 /month) for people who adopt orphans. The scope of this scheme has been extended to entire state
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