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Maharashtra: 141 HIV testing centres in state facing closure
Updated On: 29 November, 2023 07:17 AM IST | Mumbai | Eshan Kalyanikar
State’s AIDS control society seeks to rationalise non-performing centres with low footfalls; health officials worried this may be part of central govt’s larger plan to close NACO, shift HIV control to state governments
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ICTCs provide testing and counselling to HIV-positive patients, and TB referrals to all citizens. Representation Pic
Around 141 of the total 515 HIV Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres (ICTC) in Maharashtra have been identified as ‘non-performing centres’ and are at risk of closing down due to low footfall, officials told mid-day ahead of the World Aids Day on December 1. “These 141 centres are spread across Maharashtra including in areas like Thane and Pune,” said Dr Prasad Bhandari, who was the additional project director with Maharashtra State Aids Control Society (MSACS) until last week.
Approximately 31 ICTCs were rationalised in 2022 in the state. Similar closures have occurred in different parts of the country, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Punjab. In 2021-22, it is estimated that Maharashtra had 2,13,995 men and 1,80,083 women living with HIV, with close to 5,410 new patients every year. Meanwhile, ICTCs in Mumbai may not face the risk of closure as the city still has a significant number of people, estimated to be 40,000, living with HIV-AIDS.
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