Dimapur: On May 18, 2014, candles were lit at IMC Hall, Dimapur to mark the 31st International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Day to commemorate the millions of people who passed away since the beginning of the HIV epidemic. The event was initiated by The Dimapur Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (DNP+) and District AIDS Prevention and Control Unit (DAPCU) in collaboration with partner NGOs of Dimapur. This year, the theme of the event was “Let’s Keep the Light on HIV”.
A message on “Commitment and Solidarity” was presented by Temjen Jamir of Project Orchid, who stated that the candlelight memorial service was the oldest and largest grassroots movement against HIV and AIDS, whuch brings people, organizations and communities together. He also said that it is not the sole responsibility of ‘one department, organization or department in the fight against HIV/AIDS’. He encouraged everyone to work together more closely and renew their commitment in the battle against AIDS. He also, acknowledged that Nagaland has come a long way in this fight; but that the time has come to turn the epidemic around and that, the time is now.
Guest speaker Dr. Sedevi, Deputy Director, CIHSR, Dimapur also reiterated that the fight against HIV AIDS in Nagaland has come a long way since thirty years ago, but what we are doing is just 10 % of what we should actually be doing. He added that in terms of perception, people might have changed but in terms of what is being done, a lot more proactive approach is needed. He also stated that today there is a lot of hope for patients on ART drugs and we need to identify people in need of treatment faster.
He also said that the three biggest HIV problems are delays in testing, delay in care, and early dropouts. To this, he correlated that the Government must integrate with private sector much more effectively. He also highlighted on the need for home based care and further opined that more doctors, nurses, and counselors need to be trained. He also called upon the urgent need to hold dialogues with churches on the right approach and an unbiased view towards HIV/AIDS.
Stating that we cannot just leave the battle against HIV/AIDS to the Government alone, he called for cooperation from the people. He shared that there should be more ART centres, distribution of condoms, research data to influence public policy, support mechanisms, HIV education in schools. He also highlighted on topics like “Standard care services for PHLV”, “Barriers to clinical care”, “Challenges to care” etc.
