The health department swung into action when it came to know that the HIV testing kits were being sold illegally to private laboratories. These kits were meant for the Integrated Counseling and Testing Centers (ICTC). The authorities came to know about this incidence when they caught a person selling this kit red-handed. He was associated with CITC and the kit was given to the counseling center free of cost by the National AIDS Control Organization or NACO.

The officials have expressed their concern over the issue. The additional project director of the Maharashtra AIDS Control Society remarked, “Any kind of illegal activity in respect of HIV testing kit will not be tolerated. We have asked all officials involved in testing and counseling work to be wary of such an activity happening on their premises. The counselor, who was nabbed selling the kit in Ichalkaranji, has been dismissed from service.”

Deshmukh said that incidence of illegal sake of the kits was first reported on September 19 from Kolhapur district. He added that, “I received a tip that one person in Ichalkaranji is selling the kits to private laboratories. After checking the information from other sources, we laid a trap. Some of our officials were sent to Ichalkaranji. They approached the person and expressed willingness to purchase the kit. The person, in turn, called up another man who would procure the kits for sale. The man came there and asked for Rs 5,000 for 100 kits. The officials negotiated and purchased 100 kits for Rs 4,000. The culprit turned out to be a counselor who worked with an ICTC centre in Ichalkaranji.”Deshmukh informed that the counselor has been dismissed and a case has been lodged against him.

Integrated Counseling and Testing Centers (ICTC) are centers where an individual is tested and counseled for HIV. A person can go to this center voluntarily or if he or she is asked to go there by a doctor. In India, there are about 4,000 testing and counseling centers, and most of them are in government hospitals. In Maharashtra alone, there are 578 centers for this purpose.

The counseling and testing is provided free of charge in these centers. The counselors provide basic information to patients about HIV and its transmission, prevention, how to take care about themselves, and the various treatment services available in the center. Deshmukh said that MACO provides HIV testing kits to Maharashtra State AIDS Control Society. These kits are then given to the civil surgeons. These surgeons then in turn distribute these kits to the ICTC centers that fall under their jurisdiction.