Buoyed by the success of its year-long pilot project in six Indian states, National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) has decided to promote the use of female condoms across India to control the spread of HIV/AIDS.
– In the first phase, the programme would be implemented involving all NGOs working in the field in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, National Project Manager of Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust (HLFPPT), Kavita Potturi said.
HLFPPT has been assigned by NACO for promoting the marketing of the new contraceptive.
Along with these four states, NACO had launched a pilot project to introduce female condom in Karnataka and Gujarat in April 2007.
Potturi said that the success achieved by the pilot project carried out by 61 NGOs had encouraged them to take up the present programme to scale up the campaign nationwide.
She said 250 NGOs would be engaged in this phase, adding “NACO will take up projects to popularise female condom in other states too in subsequent phases.”
For this programme, NACO would buy updated female condoms (FC-2) made by Hindustan Latex Limited to distribute in the four states.
– Female condoms would be marketed by peer educators who carry out the campaign after discussion with the users. They have been trained on safe sex and promotion of social marketing of the new contraceptive, Potturi said.
Kilde: The Push Journal
