First line of defence

There are alarming reports of a major shortage of condoms in Mumbai’s redlight districts. Alarming because condoms supplied free by the government of India and sold at a nominal 25 paise apiece are all that stand between life and death for the thousands who frequent the area. And the usual numbers will rise during the Divali season. Condoms are the first line of defence against AIDs and for the sex workers and their customers in Falkland Road they are the only defence. It is shocking beyond belief therefore that such a shortage took place. There were contradictory statements from various authorities concerned with combating the spread of AIDs in the city.

According to some agencies there was no shortage, according to others it was temporarily disrupted in certain areas. The state government cannot afford to waste time, Divali season or not it must act immediately to ensure that plentiful supplies of Nirodh are available everywhere. Even a few days can make a terrible difference to the numbers of personscontracting the fatal disease. One contact without protection is enough to jeopardise a person’s health and eventually, life. The next step, after supplies are restored, would be to find out why there has been a shortage. On the face of it, it looks like the usual bureaucratic blunder compounded by indifference. But in this case it would be no ordinary blunder because terrible consequences could follow. To prevent a recurrrence, it is essential that those responsible for the disruption of supply, even if only temporary in one location in the city, should be identified and held accountable. It is also fair to ask why official agencies and NGOs in the field did not raise the alarm in good time. After all, supplies of things as essential as condoms in the redlight district do not dry up overnight. Shrinking quantities or rising prices should have alerted health workers at once. It is general carelessness and official neglect that lie behind the rise and rise of AIDs cases in the country. India will have thedubious distinction before long of having the largest number of AIDs sufferers in the world.