The influx of population- despite increase in awareness- is causing a rise in the number of Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) cases in Dehradun district. The Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) centre located in Doon hospital which treats the AIDS patients is, however, facing staff crunch to cater to the ever rising number of HIV patients.
The State has two ART centres which are located in the Doon hospital and Suhsila Tiwari Memorial hospital, Haldwani.The ART are a combinations of drugs which are used to treat HIV, the causative agent of AIDS. The ART drugs do not kill the virus but helps to prevent the growth of the virus.
The data of Uttarakhand State AIDS Control Society (USACS) reveals that Dehradun district has 2,874 persons who are infected with the disease which is highest in the State.The ART centre located at the Doon hospital has only two medical officers, one staff nurse, one data manager and two counselors to attend to the AIDS patients.
One of the staff members posted at the centre said that though the number of patients has increased in the last few years the facilities and the staff deployed at the ART centre have remained unchanged. The centre is having space constraints too, as apart from the regular staff some Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs) also camp there.
These NGOs are engaged in the counseling and they help in rehabilitation of the AIDS patients. The centre was started in 2006 and as the AIDS patients need a life- long care and medication, the number of cases which it would serve is bound to increase.The data suggests that 384 new patients were added in the district in 2013 while in the first six months of this year, 192 new cases of AIDS have been reported.
The Additional Project Director of USACS, Dr R K Pandey while interacting with The Pioneer acknowledged that the staff crunch keeps plaguing the ART centres of the State.He informed that efforts are being made to open new AIDS treatment centres in other parts of the State which would reduce the patient- load on ART centres. Pandey said that many patients from the neighbouring States like Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh are also taking treatment in the State due to the social stigma associated with the disease.
He added that he has asked the departmental officials to prepare a data of such patients. Pandey said that the rate of HIV prevalence in the state is 0.22 percent which is less than the national average of 0.27 percent.