The Nepali National Hotline Service on HIV/AIDS and National Information Resource Center for HIV/AIDS were launched with a view to providing free service to people seeking information on HIV/AIDS, its care, treatment and support, The Himalayan Times reported on Wednesday.

Launching the services here on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health and Population, Amik Sherchan, said the government is seriously considering inclusion of chapters on HIV/ AIDS in the school curricula.

The National Center for AIDS and Sexually Transmited Disease Control (NCASC) established and set up the hotline with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Fund for Population Activities and the Global Plus Private limited, according to the newspaper.

"HIV/AIDS has become a big challenge in Southeast Asia, and the government is committed to collecting exact data on people living with HIV/AIDS," Sherchan was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

According to NCASC, all queries and identity of callers will be kept confidential and that they will be given correct information on HIV/AIDS, its care, treatment and support.

"This service is expected to help people in providing free access to resources, as a result people will come out with their problems and receive crucial information to help bridge the huge information gap that we see at this point of time," director of NSASC Dr Shyam Sunder Mishra said.

According to the WHO, an estimated 62,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS with housewives mostly affected in Nepal.

Source: Xinhua