As per NACO Gujarat is a medium prevalence state with adult HIV prevalence of 0.42%. In Gujarat, various HIV prevention and care and support programs are being implemented through Gujarat State AIDS Control Society. Prevention of mother to child transmission is an important component under National AIDS Control Program – IV. With the present medicine available it is possible to eliminate pediatric transmission of HIV. However, to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV timely diagnosis of HIV among pregnant women is necessary so that through PPTCT cascade services chances of HIV transmission can be minimized. At present, all the ANC registered and delivered in the public sector are being covered under PPTCT program.

In Gujarat total 11.6 lac deliveries are happening in a year (Source: NHSRC-15-16) out of them 98.4% deliveries happen in the institutions (i.e. public and private) including 58.5% deliveries in the private sector. To eliminate pediatric transmission of HIV it is necessary that these pregnant women who are obtaining ANC services from the private sector are linked with the PPTCT program. With an objective of minimizing this gap in the national program, NACO has chosen SAATHII to implement PPTCT program (ŚVETANA Project) in private sector on PPP mode at the national level.

In Gujarat SAATHII is implementing ŚVETANA program in 23 districts (i.e. Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Gir Somnath, Bhavnagar, Botad, Morbi, Junagadh, Nadiad, Anand, Valsad, Narmada, Bharuch, Chhota Udaipur, Panchmaal, Arravali, Patan, Sabarkantha and  Mahisagar) from September – 15 with the support of GSACS. At the district level DAPCUs and ICTCs are involved in the program and thus PPTCT services are being expanded to the private sector as well. Till August 2016, 156 private facilities agreed to involve in the program and has signed MoU.