Hospitals in UP yet to get PEP kits

[Guest guest]

Hospitals in UP yet to get Kits: The Times of India 17 September 2001,

New Delhi - Manjari Mishra

LUCKNOW: When it comes to tackling AIDS, all attempts made by the UP government

begin and end on paper. The latest instance of the paper war with the dreaded

virus is the long winded promise of providing the much-hyped Post Exposure

Prophylaxis (PEP) kits to the public health bodies in order to ensure safety.

The grand announcement made by the UP State AIDS Control Society (UPSACS) last

month that the " kits were already on the way, while a number of institutes had

already been catered to " was widely welcomed by the medical community in the

state, who are concerned over the reported incidents of growing accidental

exposure among the doctors.

While the number of those who actually contacted the disease in the manner is

debatable, there were confirmed reports that faculty members in KGMC and Kanpur

Medical College had fallen victim to it.

However, as a random check by Times News Network last week revealed, it was yet

another promise made to be broken. It is proving to be a long and agonising wait

for the medical fraternity as the kits have yet to reach them. Topping the

'waiting list' is the SGPGI here. While conceding that the UPSACS had promised

them the facility by a letter sent to the director, head of microbiology Archana

Aiyagiri said the action was yet to begin.

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Dr. Jagdish Harsh

François-Xavier Bagnoud (INDIA)

E-mail: jamworld@...

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