Assam: World AIDS Day celebrated by LGB Regional Institute of Mental Health, Tezpur

TEZPUR: LGB Regional Institute of Mental Health, Tezpur, organized a one-day conference/symposium on the occasion of World AIDS Day, on the theme “HIV in Substance Users: Remember the link and commit to prevention.” The event started with an inauguration programme. Dr. H. Dutta, HoD, Department of Addiction Medicine & Deputy Director, LGBRIMH welcomed all the resource persons and dignitaries who attended the programme in online and offline modes. Prof. (Dr.) Karuna Hazarika, Principal-cum-Chief Superintendent, TMCH, Tezpur, and Prof. (Dr.) Atul Ambekar (virtually), Professor, NDDTC, AIIMS, New Delhi, delivered the lectures as special guests. Prof. (Dr.) Atul Ambekar in his speech mentioned that vulnerability of HIV in North East India among the persons who take drugs especially through injection. He also highlighted the present scenario of North East Region regarding prevention of AIDS. Prof. (Dr.) Karuna Hazarika in his address raised the issues of stigma and social behaviour towards the patients suffering from HIV AIDS.

Dr SK Deuri, Director, LGBRIMH, Tezpur, in his speech mentioned about the role of community in prevention and management of HIV AIDS as per the theme of WHO “Let communities lead”.

Dr. J. Hazarika, Medical Superintendent, LGBRIMH, Tezpur in his speech talked about the trends of HIV AIDS in Assam in last three years and also mentioned about the requirement of counseling among the HIV AIDS affected patients and issues related to it. After the inauguration programme, the first technical sessions on the topic of WHO perspective on substance use and HIV were started, with Dr. Atreyi Ganguli, National Professional Officer, WHO Country Office India, as the resource person. The chairpersons of the session were Dr. Sonia P. Deuri, Dean, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, GU, and Prof. and Head, Department of Psychiatric Social Work, LGBRIMH, Tezpur, and Dr. Soumitra Ghosh, Prof. and Head, Department of Psychiatry, Tezpur Medical College and Hospital, Tezpur, Assam.

In the second technical session, Dr. Himashri Bhattacharyya, Associate Prof. Community & Family Medicine, AIIMS, Guwahati, was the resource person and delivered the lecture on the topic HIV and Substance Use Disorder, the Epidemiological Link, where Dr. Rajesh Sagar, Prof. & Head, Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, and Dr. Manjit Boruah, Dept. of Community Medicine, Kokrajhar Medical College and Hospital, Kokrajhar, Assam, acted as chairpersons.

In the third session, the topic was HIV screening-overview of serological testing and Dr. Vikramjeet Dutta, Associate Professor, Dept. of Microbiology, Vardhaman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi was the resource person, and the chairpersons were Dr. Syed Tanwir Alam, Associate Prof., Department of Microbiology, Gauhati Medical College, Guwahati, Assam, and Dr. Mayuri Gogoi, Dept. of Microbiology, Tezpur Medical College, and Hospital, Tezpur, Assam. Commit to manage HIV in the population in substance use disorder was the topic of the fourth session, and the resource person was Dr. Ravindra V. Rao, Professor NDDTC, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

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