Santosh Nirash appointed goodwill ambassador of SSACS

GANGTOK, March 10: Giving a novel standpoint in reaching the common masses with the message of HIV/AIDS awareness, 81-year-old journalist Santosh Nirash was today appointed as the goodwill ambassador of Sikkim State Aids Control Society.
During her one year tenure, Mrs Nirash will help promote AIDS awareness across the State.

This was today announced by Dr. V Singhi, the new Project Director of SSACS in a media workshop on HIV/AIDS held here at the conference hall of State Forest Department.

Mrs Nirash, who is also the editor and publisher of Hindi weekly ‘Zamana Sadabahar’ in her address said more and more people should come forward to fight the disease and the stigma attached to it. She also assured of leaving no stone unturned to reach the message of AIDS to the people in nook and corners of the State. “I hope I will leave up to the expectation of SSACS and the people of Sikkim,” she added.

Dr. Singhi said the new Community Care Centre for people living with HIV AIDS will be inaugurated at Development Area next week. “The centre will provide free accommodation to the PLWHAs who come for medical treatment and cannot afford to stay in the hotels owing to financial constraints,” he added.

Highlighting on the action plans of the third phase of Aids control programme, the new SSACS project director said enough awareness has been brought in terms of HIV/AIDS now and the impact of the awareness will be measured. He also expressed his concern over the alarming flying sex workers in the Capital.

Calling to the media to be more supportive in spreading the HIV/AIDS awareness, he also requested to maintain the confidentiality of the AIDS patient and not to publish any photographs without prior consent of the patient.

The SSACS Deputy Director DS Kerongi while highlighting about the activities of SSACS told blood safety programme, mobile Integrated Counselling Testing Centres, work place intervention program, adolescent education programme are the few success story of SSACS in Sikkim.

Speaking as resource person, Editor, Now Pema Wangchuk said the media has somehow failed to understand its responsibility in giving priority to issues such as AIDS. “It is the duty of every journalist to ensure that the stigma and discrimination does not exist and if it does they should report it,” he added. He said the issues such as denying proper medical treatment to the AIDS patients is hardly reported in any media.

Calling for a realistic awareness on the issue, Mr. Wangchuk said the media should openly criticize certain policies and data of National AIDS Control Society which has been exaggerated.

Deputy Director, IEC SSACS Raj Kumar Sharma, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Passang Tamang and Consultant, Youth Affairs Chung Chung Bhutia also addressed the gathering.

source; sikkim express