Current Affairs 28th February 2018

Current Affairs 28th February 2018 - Important Points

• Union Health Ministry launches Viral Load test for People Living with HIV/AIDS on - 26th February 2018
• Saudi Arabia allows women to enlist in military till - 1st March 2018
• Rs 5 lakh health-cum- life insurance scheme for farmers  announced by - Telangana government

Current Affairs 28th February 2018 - Details

Union Health Ministry launches Viral Load test for People Living with HIV/AIDS on - 26th February 2018

Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, JP Nadda, on February 26th, 2018 initiated the Viral Load testing for all People Living with HIV or AIDS.  Viral Load test is a mega step in treating and nursing people suffering from HIV. 
Viral Load testing for all People Living with HIV/AIDS

• This programme will be providing free viral load testing to 12 lakh PLHIV for medication in India minimum once a year. 
• It will be useful for monitoring the efficiency of treatment of patients, who are taking Antiretroviral Therapy for lifelong duration.
• It will improve the use of first-line routines, thus avoiding drug-resistance and confirming the durability of people living with AIDS. 
• It will authorize medical-officers to investigate failure on 1st line treatment and therefore safeguarding People Living with HIV from generating resistance to medicines. 
• It will also aid in strengthening ‘Mission Sampark’ in tracking Loss to Follow Up for PLHIV.
   
  ‘Treat All’ Initiative
•  Previously in 2017, the Union Health Ministry studied the Antiretroviral Therapy treatment protocols to begin “Treat All” initiative. 
• This programme was started to ensure that treatment starts early and the virus spreading is curbed both at the individual and the community level. 
• Presently, about 12 lakh PLHIV are getting the Advantage of free treatment from above 530 Antiretroviral Therapy centres.

Saudi Arabia allows women to enlist in military till - 1st March 2018

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has for the 1st time unlocked applications for females to recruit in the military. Females have been provided time till March 1st, 2018 to apply for post with the position of soldier in the provinces of Riyadh, al-Qassim, Mecca and Medina.
The initiative is a continuation of the kingdom’s effort to indorse reforms that permit females more entree to a wide range of earlier forbidden jobs.
Key Requirements

• The female applicants must be Saudi residents with a high school diploma.
• The age limit has been formed between 25-35 years.
• Though the characters do not appear to include battle, they will give females the option to work in security.
• Under Saudi Arabia's guardianship system, females who apply to connect to the army must also have a residence place in the similar provinces as the job's place with their male guardians, consisting father, husband, brother or son.

Significance

• The employment of females as soldiers is one of the various improvements that the conventional Gulf country has started in past few months to improve female rights and enlarge female employment under its new improvement plan for a post-oil age.

 Rs 5 lakh health-cum- life insurance scheme for farmers  announced by - Telangana government

The Telangana CM, K Chandrasekhar Rao has declared a health-cum- life insurance plan worth Rupees 5 lakh for the farmers in the Telangana. The CM completed the declaration while speaking at the regional conference of Farmers’ Coordination Committees in Karimnagar on February 26th, 2018. The plan is believed to be applied soon.
Key Highlights

• The whole premium of the health-cum- life insurance plan of farmers will be fully tolerated by the government.
• The state government has declared an allotment of Rupees 500 crores in the next budget for execution of the plan.
• The plan is believed to advantage 70 lakh farmers in the state.
• The health-insurance coverage will be there in case of hospital admission.
• The families of farmers will be compensated the amount in case of the farmer’s death either accidental or naturally.
• The Farmers’ Coordination Committees would have to make sure that every farmer in the village avails the advantages of the plan.