Ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030 : India’s next big public health opportunity

Ms V Hekali Zhimomi
Contd from previous issue
Fourth, the programme must renew its emphasis on ending stigma. Stigma is the single biggest driver of invisibility, delayed diagnosis, and untreated infection. The HIV & AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017 is a rights-based legislation for infected and affected people living with HIV/AIDS. The act promotes service uptake in a stigma and discrimination free environment. Yet stigma persists in homes, hospitals, workplaces, and even policies and strong concerted efforts must be taken to address persisting stigma and discrimination.


India’s journey in HIV prevention has been marked with several courageous milestones. Investing early in HIV containment and prevention led to reversal of the epidemic trajectory, saving an entire generation from suffering and morbidity; and resulting in a healthy demographic dividend contributing to the economic growth story. NACP’s demonstrable track record of service delivery on scale strengthens the foundation for the last push. Now more than ever, science is on the side of India’s HIV/AIDS elimination vision. Our vibrant biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry can fast track development and scale-up of drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics, providing the tail winds for the elimination efforts.
Yet, in a journey of thousand miles, the last mile is always the hardest. The last mile for ending HIV/AIDS as a public health threat is not just biomedical—it is social, digital, behavioural, and structural. NACP-VI provides a forward-looking roadmap that is technologically modern, epidemiologically precise, and socially grounded. Underpinned by an unwavering Government commitment and a resilient public health system, India will ride stridently on the opportunity—to show the world that ending an epidemic is possible when science, community, and policy move together.


The author is Additional Secretary and Director General, National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), MoHFW.