HIV/AIDS patients are not getting regular treatment in Nizamabad district due to lack of awareness and negligence.

This came to light when HIV/AIDS patients eligible for pension were identified.

There are 8,355 HIV/AIDS patients enrolled with anti-retroviral therapy (ART) centres in the district, of whom only 2,827 are getting treated in the ART centre at the district headquarters government hospital in Nizamabad.

There are linked ART centres in Banswada, Kamareddy, Bodhan, Yellareddy and Nirmal town of Adilabad district.

Due to financial and social reasons, some HIV/AIDS patients are frequently migrating to different areas.

Migrant labourers, truck drivers and sex workers frequently change their residence, resulting in discontinuation of treatment.

Speaking to this newspaper, district medical and health officer (DMHO) Dr Ch. Harinath said that a few HIV/AIDS patients were discontinuing treatment as they were frequently changing residences. “We have been providing medical facility to HIV/AIDS patients free of cost,” he said. “We are trying to create awareness among patients that discontinuation of treatment will adversely affect their health,” he explained.

The district administration is giving Rs.200 as monthly pension to HIV/AIDS patients. For the first time, district collector D.Vara Prasad sanctioned pensions to 978 patients in the first phase.

Indira Kranthi Patham (IKP) project director P. Venkatesham, who coordinates pensions to HIV/AIDS patients, said that they were distributing pensions through the Andhra Bank. “Instead of social security pensions, we have given Andhra Bank ATM cards to HIV/AIDS pensioners We are concentrating on extending pensions to more HIV/AIDS patients in the district,” the project director said.