Health diary on information about HIV launched

[Guest guest]

Health diary on information about HIV launched

Express News Service. Pune, December 4: With the new year just around

the corner, People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) have in a unique

initiative, written, designed and published a Health Diary 2007.

Released today by former Miss India Amrita Thapar at the Treatment

Adherence Advocacy Literacy (TAAL) pharmacy in Nana Peth, the diary

is literally a ready reckoner on information about HIV.

Says Shabana Patel, president of the Network of People Living with

HIV in Maharashtra (NMP+), " There is an urgent need for information

on life after treatment. This diary will be useful for PLHA's who can

use it as a guide to understand and track the state of their

infection, consult the diary on safe sexual practices, read about the

laboratory diagnosis of HIV infection and also take tips on home-

based care.''

Patel and a team of HIV positive people have designed the diary. Says

A K Khanna, executive director, Emcure Pharmaceuticals Limited that

supplies the TAAL pharmacy with a range of antiretroviral drugs at

subsidized prices apart from supporting the infrastructure

requirements, " There is a list of dos and don'ts for the HIV positive

people in the diary.''

Khanna points out that TAAL is being run by the NMP+ who got into the

business of buying and selling medicines to help PLHAs.

They have over 650 patients on their rolls who get medicines at

subsidised costs. The Nagpur and Namakkal centres are also

functional, he said. Earlier a rally was was taken out from Nehru

Memorial Hall

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