Talking to Express Newsline here on Monday, state health minister Ashok Bhatt said he had floated a special team of ``sakhees'' (lady social workers) in the red-light areas of Rajkot and Surat in the past week. ``Six people have been deputed to begin with, while the same will soon be intensified in these two and other cities'', he said.

``I myself have been in the red-light areas to talk to the sex workers and urge them to spread awareness about the STDs. However, the sakhees, who will be paid by the department, will intensify their awareness drive in these areas.'' According to Bhatt, sakhees would also be introduced in other cities of the state soon.

To another specific query about treatment of poor Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome.patients, he said special Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome. wards -- exclusively for such patients -- would be set up at SSG Hospital and Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad by May-end. Bhatt was in city to inaugurate an eight-bed de-addiction centre at S S G Hospital. A large number of senior officials from different departments and local political leaders attended the function. He later addressed a gathering at Baroda Medical College.

Meanwhile, according to another official report, Bhatt said that in continuation of his department's leprosy eradication drive, more camps would be held in other parts of the State on the lines of the grand 13-day camp held in SSG Hospital at Vadodara in January last.

Bhatt said special week-long camps would now be held at all the government hospitals of the State from April 7 to mark Ambedkar Jayanti. Lauding various wings of the health department as well as social fora, he reiterated his determination to eradicate leprosy from Gujarat by 2000 AD.