Health Ministry launches national policy on HIV/AIDS

The Health Ministry has launched a national policy on HIV/AIDS with the aim of controlling the disease and preventing it in the country.

Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena launching the programme yesterday has said that although Sri Lanka has been able to control the disease, there was much to be done to maintain HIV/AIDS at the lowest levels and eventually to eradicate it.

He has said that Sri Lanka had managed to control the disease at satisfactory levels since the first AIDS patient was detected in 1986.

However, he has said that a national policy on HIV/AIDS was needed to fight and control the disease more effectively.

According to Sirisena, any programme without a policy was weak and prone to fail.

The new policy calls for targeted programmes in the health sector to improve health and safety in healthcare settings while increasing basic knowledge of public and healthcare workers on HIV and AIDS. (Colombo Page)