Chennai: Over 2 lakh people in Tamil Nadu are HIV-positive and, of them, more than 60,000 are on first-line antiretroviral treatment. Though there are 58 ART centres that supply first-line drugs, only a very few centres supply second-line drugs. "When first-line drugs fail to work, people need the second-line and then the third-line. But only four or five centres have these drugs in the state," says Selvam, president of the Network for Chennai People Living with HIV.
On December 1, World AIDS Day, several associations that work with people living with HIV (PLHIV) stress again the need for availability of ART drugs and the passing of the HIV bill that is still pending in Parliament. Daisy David, social activist and a PLHIV who was diagnosed positive in 1998, says, "We are still waiting for this bill to be passed. The then Congress government tabled the bill but it was not passed. Various stakeholders met the officials concerned recently to discuss the bill and got an assurance that this time it will be passed, but without main provisions like medical ombudsmen. We need health ombudsmen in every district to provide easy health services. The bill was drafted only after nation-wide consultations with stakeholders like PLHIVs and health workers. What is the point of passing the bill without major provisions?" she questioned.
Read: CM Panneerselvam calls for creating AIDS-free society
This year, the health ministry said there are 21 lakh people estimated to be PLHIV in India, and 7.47 lakh people receive ART and 7,224 receiving second-line drugs. "This is highly underestimated as there are more than 21 lakh people living with HIV in the country. Even if we estimate it to be only 21 lakh, only 15 lakh people have registered with various ART centres. Of them, only 7 lakh are undergoing treatment," says Dr. Nochiketa Mohanty, country programme manager, AIDS Healthcare Foundation India. He adds that various ART drugs centres are out of stock
"What we need at present is rapid testing and prevention programme. Also, we need to follow WHO guidelines as our guidelines are outdated," he added.
WHO has launched the updated, consolidated guidelines on the use of antiretroviral drugs for treating and preventing HIV infection.
