DUSHANBE, February 22, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- Allowances for children living with HIV are not yet paid in Tajikistan, though government’s appropriate decree on this subject took effect on January 1, 2011.

Murodali Ruziyev, director of the Republican AIDS Center, says the process of preparation of documents is currently under way.  According to him, acceleration of this process depends on families having children with HIV infection.  “They will begin to receive allowances after submitting all necessary documents to local bodies for social protection,” Ruziyev noted.

The monthly allowance for child with HIV amounts to seven accounting indices (current accounting index is equal to 35.00 somoni).

“As of January 1, 2011, 47 children that will receive these allowances were registered in Tajikistan,” the Republican AIDS Center director said, noting that the allowances will be paid for children aged 1½ to 16.

In the meantime, Davron Valiyev, head of the social security directorate at the Ministry of labor and Social Security (LSS), says the process of implementation of government’s decree on payment of allowances for children living with HIV requires additional time.  “We have already conducted training seminars for employees of the social security bodies in the provinces and explained them the process of implementation of the decree because it requires a special confidentiality,” the LSS official added.