The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), in association with the National Aids Research Institute (NARI), is going to set up a centre in the city in which various medical facilities relating to HIV/AIDS including conducting free HIV tests will be provided for the benefit of citizens. A piece of land (survey number 996) near Dr Homi Bhabha Maternity Hospital located in Model Colony has been earmarked for the purpose.
On March, , negotiations were held for the proposed joint activity between PMC and NARI. As per the plan, the centre will provide free guidance to people as well as treatment to HIV patients. It will also provide technical advice and training to the PPTCT (Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission) centers, which are operation at PMC run hospitals.
Once the proposal gets a nod, the PMC and NARI are going to sign an agreement. Though the land will be owned by the PMC, the electricity charges, property tax, water tax, maintenance charges would be borne by NARI, as stated in the proposal. The proposal states: "NARI has been carrying out a project from the last 15 years, which has been proving beneficial to the citizens of Pune. Apart from this, another project called Clinical Trial project sponsored by the National Institute of Health in America." The proposal goes on to state that the National AIDS Control Organisation has started an anti-retroviral centre at National Institute of Virology and the individuals who are a part of the project are being given a free medical treatment. However, there are plans to throw open these medical treatments to general public in the near future.TIE
