Re: My experience on Accessing AIDS Care in India

February 7, 2011

Dear Editor,

It is a good thing That Mr KUMAR NAGARJAN pointed out these defects in the

service of Govt ART CENTERS.

This not happened only with Mr Kumar Nagarajan's family alone but WITH ALMOST

ALL PLHAs.

Moreover without a viral load test, we are able to detect the clinical or

virolgical failures at a very late stage only. For confirmations with further

CD4 counts they took further time.

When they refer to a higher center for second line ART they have to wait to get

an appointment and once again cross examination is being done and once again

wait for viral load test results by which time these patients deteriorate very

fast and not able to regain their health back.

Still we are following the same single drug Nevirapine use as a prophylaxis for

PPTC programme. Many failures are occuring and we are creating resistant strains

and during switching over regimens for toxicities, also patients are made to

wait with a drug free interval which once again predisposes the develpement of

resistant strains.

So it is a high time for the NACO to reconsider and revise their guidelines if

they want to provide real services to PLHAS and to have a control over the

disease.

Dr S.Murugan

Sr HIV consultant, Tirunelveli

e-mail: <muruganyes@...>

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