Port Blair, Oct. 12: The Secretary (Health), A&N Administration, Shri Arjun Sharma, IAS, as the chief guest of the programme inaugurated the three-days Regional Training-cum -Review Workshop on Supply Chain Management System of Commodities of National AIDS Control Programme 2022 today. Dr. Munni Singhania, Director of Health Services was the guest of honour. Project Directors, Asst. Project Directors and Dy. Directors representing various States of Southern Zone also graced the occasion. 45 participants from NACO and SACS are attending the workshop. The participants are representatives of Supply Chain Management Project of State AIDS Control Societies from Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The workshop is being conducted in the conference hall of Hotel Lemon Tree, Port Blair.

Addressing the gathering, the chief guest remarked that it is very important to deliver the right information to the society and deal with the problem in an effective manner. The role of NACO has been important in dealing with the problems of HIV&AIDS. It is important to have regional level workshops, so that state-specific issues can be dealt in an effective manner, considering the local and regional aspects. He congratulated Plan India and NACO team for conducting the three days Regional Training –cum-Review Workshop on Supply Chain Management System for NACP commodities.

Dr. Anoop Kumar Puri, DDG, NACO through the virtual platform urged the participants to utilize this opportunity and gain the knowledge from experienced resource team and ensure the availability of commodity at each level overcoming the challenges. Other officials who addressed the participants were Dr. Saiprasad Bhavsar, Deputy Director, PMR & SCM, NACO, Dr. Naresh Goel, DDG NACO (Retd.) and Dr. Rajesh Rana, Director, Plan International (India chapter). Earlier, Dr. Rajesh Rana welcomed the gathering.

The Supply Chain Management Project of National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) is being implemented by Plan International (India Chapter). The objective of this workshop is to build up the capacity of the officials engaged in the supply chain management of the commodities for implementation of the National AIDS Control Program (NACP) across the country. This workshop will enhance technical capacity of the participants to design, manage and monitor supply chain for increased access of high-quality ARV drugs, testing kits across India. The workshop will be followed by the review and the discussion on the challenges and areas of improvement for the supply chain management across the country.