Cabinet nod to Bill ending discrimination with HIV+ people

Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 5

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved amendments to the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Bill, 2014, to legally bar discrimination with affected persons and disclosure of their status without consent.

The HIV and AIDS Bill, 2014, was drafted to safeguard the rights of people living with HIV and affected by HIV.

The new changes seek to address HIV-related discrimination, strengthen the existing programme by bringing in legal accountability and establish formal mechanisms for inquiring into complaints and redressing grievances.

It says persons living with HIV, AIDS will have equal rights to residence, jobs and education and bars termination of employment of affected people due to their infection.

India has 21 lakh people living with HIV. The new Bill is aimed at meeting the HIV eradication target of 2030 as cited in the sustainable development goals.

“The Bill seeks to prevent and control the spread of HIV and AIDS, prohibits discrimination against persons with HIV and AIDS, provides for informed consent and confidentiality with regard to their treatment, places obligations on establishments to safeguard rights of persons living with HIV and create mechanisms for redressing complaints. The Bill also aims to enhance access to health care services by ensuring informed consent and confidentiality for HIV-related testing, treatment and clinical research,” the Health Ministry said.