The drugs for the HIV patients of the secondary stage of treatment, which were unavailable in the State for over 45 days, have finally reached the antiretroviral therapy (ART) centres in all 27 districts in the State. However, drugs for HIV positive children are still out of stock.
K Mukesh, social activist who works with HIV patients in the State, confirmed the arrival of the second line drugs in ART centres, adding, “The vital first line drugs for children had also come with the second line stock but were exhausted soon after their arrival.”
After HIV virus enters into human body, the person becomes primary HIV patient. With regular medicines and a healthy diet, the person can live a normal life for around 15 years. Regular medication and care in primary stage of the disease keeps the patient at relatively safer bay before the patients reach the secondary stage of HIV. After 15 years of treatment, the patient automatically graduates to the secondary stage. The second line medicines support the patient for an additional period of around 15 years. However, missing even a single dose causes irreparable damage to HIV patient’s immune system and affects his or her life expectancy.
“Dr BR Ambedkar Medical Hospital in the city was instructed to order the second line drugs. The stock has arrived and has been dispatched to all the antiretroviral therapy (ART) centres in the districts,” said Dr SK Binjhwar, Project Director of State AIDS Control Society. He said first line medicines are available in most of the ART centres and temporary shortage in a few centres will be taken care of at the earliest.
“I went to the ART centre on Wednesday and received the drugs for a period of 15 days but my seven-year-old son who too suffers from HIV had to come empty handed,” said a HIV patient from Durg district.
The State had been receiving HIV drugs from the National Aids Control Society (NACS) in Delhi. However, in the times of scarcity NACS instructed the States to arrange for the medicines at th State-level. Even after receiving clear instructions, the State-level officers did not begin the process of ordering the drugs for several weeks. They did so only after the issue was raised by the media. The Pioneer had repeatedly taken up the issue of State-wide unavailability of HIV drugs. SACS swung into action and directed Dr BR Ambedkar Hospital to order for the drugs.