Reinforcing the medical framework of the state, the UP government will be launching specialized 'one-stop centres' in five more cities, including Kanpur, Varanasi, Moradabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Meerut. The centres will be inaugurated tomorrow i.e. December 1 which also happens to be 'World Aids Day'.

The centre will be established under the Uttar Pradesh State AIDS Control Society (UPSACS) and will facilitate tests for multiple ailments including HIV, TB and other non-communicable diseases under one roof. Reportedly, a total of two centres each will be launched in Varanasi and Kanpur, while cities including Moradabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar and Meerut will have one centre each.

Besides providing screening facilities, these specialized NACO-GFATM one-stop centres will also lay special emphasis on providing counselling to foster mental health among patients.

Furthermore, the centres which have been established under the UP AIDS control society will especially focus on transgenders too, migrant workers and injectable-drug users in Kanpur and Varanasi districts. These specialized facilities will have a team of doctors and ANMs for screening patients on the basis of symptoms. Presently, such centres are already functional in 25 other cities of Uttar Pradesh including Lucknow.