In light of the upcoming election, people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) in Tamil Nadu and their families have sought urgent attention to their long-pending demands for a welfare board and access to better healthcare and housing.

Presenting their demands to all political parties, their network said they would extend support to the party that committed itself to fulfilling these demands. Coming under the banner of the Tamil Nadu Networking People with HIV/AIDS, Madurai, all district-level networks for PLHAs said there were nearly 1,50,000 PLHAs, and around 3,00,000 of their family members in the State.

One of their key demands is establishing a separate welfare board for PLHAs. They also wanted free higher education to be provided for their children. PLHAs should be given priority in all government welfare schemes. They should also be given priority in State government jobs based on their qualifications.

The network said the State government should take steps to ensure that PLHAs could obtain private health insurance policies. They also called for steps to implement the HIV and AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017 the police, judiciary and all government departments in the State.

PLHAs should receive all kinds of surgical treatments without discrimination in all government medical college hospitals and district headquarters hospitals. The State government should take steps to provide monthly financial assistance to those who are living in extreme poverty in urban and rural areas. Similarly, the government should provide free house sites and construct free houses for those who are extremely poor and living in rented houses, the network said in a press release.