Health is ones responsibility: Speaker

Nagaland Legislative Assembly speaker Kiyaneilie Peseyie on Saturday stated that health is an individual’s responsibility, and asserted that no amount of ‘focusing on people’ or ‘people’s participation’ will substitute for people taking charge of their own health issues and acting by themselves.
Addressing a health awareness and HIV and AIDS sensitization programme held at Sechü-Zubza organized by the Western Angami Women Organization and Kekhrie Foundation, the speaker said that people should change their lifestyle especially their eating habits and promote health seeking behaviour for long term benefits. Terming the issue of HIV and AIDS as a fundamental human issue, Kiyaneilie Peseyie said that the society needed to be more open in discussing HIV and AIDS, and ways to prevent, control and treat it. He called upon the leaders of the region to educate their people about the facts of HIV and AIDS.
Expressing happiness over the adoption of the State AIDS Policy by the government, the speaker said that the government would ensure that the pandemic of HIV and AIDS, which has also become a developmental problem, does not destroy the Naga society.
He further apprised on the availability of ART drugs free of cost for people living with HIV and AIDS in ART centres in Kohima, Tuensang, Dimapur and Mokokchung Civil Hospitals. He also informed that the Government under RNTCP was providing testing facilities and drugs free of cost in all health centres for TB patients. He urged the leaders of the region to identify and work out strategies to connect the services available to the people who are in need.
State coordinator of LFA-UNAIDS, Dr. Vinito Chishi, called upon the village leaders to take responsibility of sensitizing their respective village members on the facts and programmes of HIV and AIDS. Stating that HIV was an active virus affecting everyone in the society, Dr. Vinito urged for a collective effort to stop the spreading of HIV and AIDS in the society.
Dr. Vizolie from NRHM, Dr. Joyce, consultant of Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne, and Seyiekuolie, spoke during the function.
Community leaders from various villages under Western Angami region attended the programme. Health topics including maternal health, immunitization of children, Malaria, lifestyle diseases, STI, TB, HIV and AIDS, etc was discussed during the programme.
The awareness programme was supported by LFA, NSACS, NRHM and RNTCP.