YR Gaitonde Centre For AIDS Research And Education

About YR Gaitonde Centre For AIDS Research And Education

YR Gaitonde Centre For AIDS Research And Education is a not-for-profit organization in India working in the domain of HIV/AIDS. Dr. Suniti Solomon, along with her team, documented the first cases of HIV in India in 1986 at Madras Medical College (MMC) where she served as a Professor of Microbiology for over two decades. Between 1988 and 1993, this became a dedicated center that combined HIV- specific voluntary counseling and testing, continuing medical and nursing education, treatment, outreach to young people, and social services. This broke new ground as there was no precedent of a comprehensive HIV/AIDS facility within the country in either the public or the private sector. In 1993, after taking voluntary retirement from the Government, she established the Y.R. Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education at the Y.R. Gaitonde Medical, educational, and research foundation, with a small, select team. The organization has expanded and now employs more than 450 staff.