In a move that could improve awareness on sexual health among couples, Goa is mulling to make HIV tests mandatory for couples before the registration of marriage.?
"We are considering making an HIV test compulsory for the prospective couples before registration of marriage in Goa. It is not mandatory right now," Rane told IANS.
Rane, who is also the Minister for Law, said the proposal to make HIV testing compulsory before marriage was being vetted by the Law Department.
In 2006, a similar proposal was mooted by then Health Minister Dayanand Narvekar, with the Goa cabinet approving the legislation making HIV testing mandatory before marriage. However, the initiative never took off.
Each year, 85,000 to One lakh new cases of HIV are detected in India. Safety and quality concerns are a huge cause of worry since multiple cases of HIV are reported due to transfusion of HIV-infected blood.
The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), in an RTI, has said that around 1,342 people across India have contracted the HIV infection due to blood transfusion in 2018-19, giving rise to serious safety concerns.
Across country, over 7,218 have contracted through blood and its products since 2014-15. In 2018-19, Uttar Pradesh topped the chart with 241 cases, followed by West Bengal with 176 cases and Delhi with 172 cases.
BCCL
With over two million infected individuals, India is home to one-third of the world¡¯s HIV population.?
The reach of HIV testing services remains poor in low and middle income countries. The stigma and discrimination continue to stop people from having an HIV test.
A new study has found there is a high prevalence of HIV in developed and urbanised areas of the country. The better developed, urbanised districts with large population size better socio-economic status of population are more likely to have consistently high HIV prevalence levels.
Explaining this, researchers said that often young individuals set out for bigger cities to study and find a job. They are hence separated from the family. With better income, they are ready to explore and often have sexual encounters with multiple partners before they get married.
This increases chances of HIV.
If the initiative takes off in Goa, it could be a role model for other states to follow suite.