Manipur AIDS Control Society::About Us-Official

Manipur’s epidemic is still at an early stage and this presents a good opportunity to prevent infection rates from rising. With comprehensive intervention, it is possible to reduce the number of HIV+ people by 60% who will otherwise become infected in the next five years.
A team comprising of SACS officials and representatives of NGOs, GIPA Alliance, MNP+ along with an expert team from NACO made an indept discussion during December, 2005 and March, 2006 and finalised the preparation of PIP, NACP – III.

The goal of the state in NACP III is to halt and reverse the epidemic in Manipur over the next 5 years by integrating programs for prevention and care, support & treatment. To achieve this goal, the state will pursue four main objectives:

1) Prevention of new infections in high-risk groups and general population through:
a) Saturation of coverage of high-risk groups (80%) with targeted interventions (TIs)
b) Scaled up interventions in the general population.
2)   Increasing the proportion of people living with HIV/AIDS who receive care, support and treatment.
3)   Strengthening the infrastructure, systems and human resources in prevention and treatment programs at the district and state levels.
4)   Strengthening a state-wide strategic information management system
The specific objective is to reduce sixty percent of new infection in the first year of the programme

The goal, objectives and strategies of NACP-III will be informed by the following guiding principles:

The unifying credo of Three Ones, i.e., one Agreed Action Framework, one National HIV/AIDS Coordinating Authority and one Agreed National M&E System.
Equity as monitored by relevant indicators in both prevention and impact mitigation strategies i.e. percentage of people accessing services disaggregated by age and gender.
Respect for the rights of the PLHA, as it contributes most positively to prevention and control efforts. NACP-III would evolve mechanisms to be put in place at all levels to address issues related to human rights and ethics. Particular focus would be on the fundamental rights of PLHA and their active involvement as important partners in prevention, care, support and treatment initiatives.
Civil society representation and participation in planning and implementation of NACP-III would receive priority since it is essential for promoting social ownership and community involvement.
Creation of an enabling environment wherein those infected and affected by HIV could lead a life of dignity. This will be the corner-stone of all interventions. Stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS, which continues to pose a big challenge to policy planners and programme implementers in prevention, care and treatment efforts will be aggressively addressed.
Having regard to the spirit behind “universal access”, NACP-III will scale up efforts and activities for providing HIV prevention, care, support, and treatment services.
For making the implementation mechanism more responsive, proactive and dynamic, the HRD strategy of NACO and SACS will be based on qualification, competence, commitment and continuity.
Strategic and programme interventions will be evidence-based and result-oriented with scope for innovations and flexibility. Priority will be accorded to specific local contexts.

NACP-III seeks to learn from the lessons of the previous two phases of programme implementation and build on the strengths thereof. Its priorities and thrust areas have been drawn up accordingly and include the following:

Considering that more than 99% of the population in the country is free from infection, NACP-III will place the highest priority on preventive efforts while, at the same time, seeking to integrate prevention with care, support and treatment.
Sub-populations that have the highest risk of exposure to HIV will receive the highest priority for intervention. These would include sex workers, men who have sex with men, and injecting drug users. Of lower priority will be those groups which have high levels of exposure to HIV infection such as long distance truckers, prisoners, migrants (including refugees) and street children.
Those in the general population who have greater need for accessing prevention services such as treatment of STIs, voluntary counselling and testing and condoms will be next in the line of priority.
NACP-III will ensure that all persons who need treatment would have access to prophylaxis and management of opportunistic infections. Persons who need access to ART will also be assured first line ARV drugs.
Prevention needs of children will be addressed through universal provision of PPTCT services. Children who are infected will be assured access to paediatric ART.
NACP-III will also make efforts to address the needs of persons infected and affected by HIV, especially children. This will be done through the sectors and agencies involved in child protection and welfare. Impact of HIV on others will also be mitigated through other welfare agencies providing nutritional support, opportunities for income generation and other welfare services.
NACP-III will invest in community care centres to provide psycho-social support, outreach services, referrals and palliative care.
Socio-economic determinants that make a person vulnerable also increase the risk of exposure to HIV. NACP-III will work with other agencies involved in vulnerability reduction such as women’s groups, youth groups, trade unions etc. to integrate HIV prevention into their activities.

Mainstreaming and partnerships will be the key approach to facilitate multi-sectoral response engaging a wide range of stakeholders. Private sector, civil society organizations, PLHA networks and government departments would all play crucial role in prevention, care, support, treatment and service delivery. Technical and financial resources of the development partners will be leveraged to achieve the objectives of the programme.