Need for guidelines on ART referals by Non Govt Centers

[Guest guest]

Dear all,

Are people controlling ART centers from states listening?

What are the exact guidelines for HIV+ people/ AIDS patients who are estabilshed

proven cases from non govt centers and are under care of trained Hiv specialist

with regular CD4 counts- as when patients lands at the Govt. ART center he is

asked again go the ordeal of getting routine HIV test from VCTC.

I am a trained Hiv specialist with > 15 years of expeirence in this field gone

to attend and deliver my paper talks in almost all the International conference

across the world. More over we had first NGO in punjab in 1992 as AIDS AWRENESS

GROUP in Amritsar and in 2006 we had a new NGO PLHA- AMRITSAR chapter.

I have more than 300 patients since last 15 years and had reffered many cases to

ART CENTER as I am also in Skin and STD deptt of Govt Medical college Amritsar

and I had few patients who were drivers and on treatment since > 6 years earning

their livlihood by virtue of timely treatment and come to Amritsar for a day or

so just to show me and to have their medicines.

Now if we are asking them to first go to Govt VCTC center to estabilish that

they are HIV + the I think our real goal of providing medicines to the needed is

deafeated as this driver will go back to work on high way and will return after

30- 45 days.

I agree that there should be minimum criteria for providing ART but in cases

like these where people like me who represent both govt as well as NGO and are

trained in this field for last so many years and having hundreds of patients

there should be direct collobaration between ART center as well as the reffral

HIV specialist so that pt should not suffer . At the most patient should be

given the ART and then asked to go to VCTC to give blood for HIV to complete the

file formalities and on his next visit or if VCTC can send the repor direct to

ART center it will decreas the hazzals.

Any further suggestions?

DR RAVI SAINI

SECRETARY AIDS AWRENESS GROUP AMRITSAR

SKIN STD AND AIDS SPECIALIST

GOVT MEDICAL COLLEGE AMRITSAR

Tel: 9417278811, 01832501717

e-mail: ravisaini@...

[Guest guest]

Dear ALL,

I do agree with the point raised by Dr. Ravi Saini Ji.

I too had working experience of 10 years in the health, Nutrition,

Population & HIV / AIDS sector, I too feel that lot of time is literally get

killed in just doing certain formalities & that time is very painful for the

patients. They get double trouble first from the ailment & second fron the eyes

of the spectators. Even in the VCTC or government clinics these patients get a

very dicey looks which is very inhuman.

All these issues are speaking that lot has to be done under Public Private

Partnership, which is a key strategy in NRHM. Unfortunately its focus is mainly

on the treatment & managment of Non Communicable diseases, rarely on

Communicable diseases & rarest in the HIV / AIDS area.

Perhaps a uniform strategy & Plan of action is neded for both high

prevelant & low prevalant states so that the migratory population or

population in need should get the same treatment / counselling wherever they go.

So they may be out for 30 - 40 days from their home town but will never be

deprived of the basic health services under one umbrella.

lot of People centred advocacy is needed?

Any suggestions!!

Dr. Asheesh Jain

e-mail: <jainasheesh@...>