Tura, September 7, 2026: Former Phulbari Block Committee President of the Indian Youth Congress Meghalaya, Abu Sabir Mandal, has appealed to the Centre and the Meghalaya Government to undertake an urgent, large-scale HIV and STI screening campaign across West Garo Hills.
In a representation addressed to the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Meghalaya’s Health Minister, the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) and the Deputy Commissioner of West Garo Hills, Mandal expressed concern over what he described as growing vulnerabilities to HIV and sexually transmitted infections in the district.
Mandal identified drug addiction and unsafe needle-sharing practices among injecting drug users as a major concern, stating that the issue requires immediate public-health intervention, awareness and access to appropriate harm-reduction services.
He also called attention to hygiene practices in local barber shops and salons. According to Mandal, some establishments may be reusing equipment such as trimmers and scissors without adequate cleaning or disinfection between customers. He stressed that proper infection-control measures should be followed wherever there is a possibility of blood exposure.
The former youth Congress leader also highlighted the need for increased awareness about safer sexual practices to help reduce the risk of HIV and STI transmission. As part of his proposed measures, Mandal called for the deployment of specialised mobile medical teams across West Garo Hills to conduct accessible HIV and STI testing at the village level and through existing health facilities such as PHCs and CHCs.
He also proposed wider community outreach and awareness programmes, urging health authorities to use available demographic information to reach households while ensuring informed consent, confidentiality and voluntary testing.
Mandal further urged the government to introduce and enforce clear hygiene and infection-control standards for barber shops and salons, including appropriate cleaning and disinfection of reusable instruments and precautions to prevent blood exposure. He also sought guaranteed linkage to healthcare for people who test positive, including counselling and access to government-supported HIV treatment and Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) services.
Calling for immediate government intervention, Mandal said a coordinated approach involving testing, awareness, prevention, treatment and proper infection-control practices was necessary to address the concerns. He urged the authorities to treat the matter with urgency and deploy health and awareness teams across the district at the earliest.
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