HIV patients battle shortage of doctors, medicines

- About 30,000 victims in the district are facing various problems including shortage of doctors at ART centres
- An NGO claims that more CD4 machines should be installed at the centres since they are crucial for survival of patients

Anantapur: A host of problems are staring at the HIV/AIDS victims numbering about 30,000 scattered in different places in the district. Discrimination by medical doctors and social stigma haunting them and Anti-Retroviral Drugs (ART) centres devoid of adequate facilities including higher capacity CD4 testing machines and several such problems are dogging the community.

While HIV/AIDS itself is de-motivating them to call it quits, they are battling with for survival and living in peace for the rest of their life is unaffordable. There is no one to listen to their cries for old age pensions, a house to live, and support to their orphaned and semi-orphan children, no nutritional meal for children from 0-6 years old just as their healthy counterparts in towns and rural areas, who are enjoying nutritional meal at the Anganwadi centres.

The CD4 count testing machine is crucial for the HIV patients, who come for treatment at the ART centres. The machine caters to testing 30-40 patients per day whereas 100 or more visit the centre but the remaining is turned out as the machine is operating beyond its capacity.

Anantha Network of Positives, an NGO founded by an AIDS victim Veeranjeneyulu is working with the 30,000-odd victims not only by way of registering them at the ART centres in Anantapur, Battalapalle and Kadiri and bringing them under treatment but also is working as a link between the government and victims in securing welfare benefits for the latter.

Speaking to The Hans India, Veeranjaneyulu says that the government hospital faces shortage of ART medicines. These medicines are to be taken regularly failing which there will be loss of resistance and decline of immunity levels. In case of shortage of medicines, the drugs are to be procured from private sources with the hospital development fund. Added to the equipment and drugs shortage issues, even the doctors are minimal in number. The ART centre in the town is supposed to be manned by three doctors but is functioning with a single doctor.

Similarly, the situation in Kadiri and Anantapur ART centres, house surgeons are treating the patients against norms. There is a demand to establish a second line ART centre in the medical college since victims are compelled to go to Kadapa and Osmania Hospital in Hyderabad. The HIV/AIDS victims are pleading for a separate nutritional project exclusively for children of AIDS victims and as otherwise the HIV-infected children are traumatised by others.

Veeranjaneyulu further says that the ART centre needs a separate dialysis unit for kidney patients. Some of the government doctors are reluctant to treat HIV victims and are referring them to RDT Hospital. Even deliveries of HIV-infected women are being referred to RDT Hospital.

Also, the foster care support of Rs 500 has to be increased to Rs 2,500 per child to enable them to meet their education and personal needs.

Presently, 60 children are receiving Rs 500. All the children should be covered under the programme.The HIV victims are deprived of RTC free passes after completion of one year treatment and also demand conversion of white ration cards into Antiyodaya ration cards to enable them to enjoy the benefits.

Ravi P Benjamin