USACS to provide free medicines to all HIV + patients

DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand State AIDS Control Society (USACS) has now decided to provide medicines even to those HIV positive patients who are not undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART). Currently, there are 5,527 registered HIV positive patients in the state. Out of these, 2,913 people are on ART, which according to NACO guidelines, is given to patients whose CD4 (a type of white blood cells) count is below 500.

Till now, while 2,913 patients taking ART were given free medicines, the remaining 2,314 patients were excluded from the scheme. However, from this week, USACS will provide free drugs to all 5,527 patients.

In another welcome move, USACS has decided to help poor patients in getting subsidized food grains from district food offices. Also, the destitute will not have to endure long queues and will be helped by officials at ART centres. These officials will coordinate with district food officers for getting ID cards for the patients.

Gagan Luthra, who is a project officer with USACS, said, “Both these initiatives are equally important. In majority of the cases, HIV positive patients are abandoned by their families. Some of the poor patients suffer from poverty and hunger which deteriorates their health. The food security provided to them will ensure that they do not suffer due to hunger.”

HIV positive patients in the state have been demanding food and travel subsidy for a long time. One of their primary demands is that of travel pass. “We often miss out on medication as we are unable to travel to other parts of the city or the state for check-ups. Most of the times, we don’t have the money to travel and hence a travel pass is very important for us,” said an HIV positive patient from Dehradun.