IMPHAL, June 4: A one-day-state level seminar on women and children with ‘HIV: Economic-Psycho Social Implication’, organised by Manipur State Commission for Women was held on Wednesday at the conference hall of Imphal Hotel.
Social Welfare minister A K Mirabhai Devi was the chief guest of the seminar while MLA (O) Landhoni and deputy director of Social Welfare department, Th Joychandra were the guest of honours. Manipur State Commission for Women chairperson Dr L Ibetombi Devi presided over the event.
Dr L Ibetombi in her key note address said that the seminar was organised mainly to give awareness and disseminate information about HIV and as Manipur continues to be a focussed area for AIDS control because of its vulnerability and a high prevalence.
She added that as Manipur was the highest HIV affected state in the country it posed a major challenge for all the people of Manipur.
Speaking on the occasion, A K Mirabhai said: “In our society today, HIV affect women suffer humiliation the most and though many organisations and the government have made their efforts in eradicating HIV, it is still a major problem in the state.”
She asserted that the Union Government, state government, various departments and social organisations should join hands in fighting against it because only unity, mutual understanding, empathy can bring success in eradicating it one day, continuing that the main priority of the society at present is to ponder and research on how to eradicate this issue.
During the function, (O) Landhoni Devi said that if a person knew that he/she has been infected with HIV one shouldn’t be sacred of what society would think but instead should go to the concerned doctor and consult on what should be done.
Even society should change its perspective towards the infected person and come forward to fight against it only then our state can come down to zero level, she added.
The resource persons present in the seminar were Professor Dr Ranbir, Head of paediatrics department, RIMS who talked on paediatrics and the HIV/AIDS scenario in Manipur, Dr Ng Brajachand Singh, Professor of microbiology department, RIMS who talked about Drugs and HIV and Khaidem Tulakanta Singh who talked about Economic psycho-social implication and early counselling.
