Government plans another ART centre in Kumaon
By PRABEER SIKDAR
DEHRADUN, 18 June 2009: In view of the hardship faced by HIV positive patients, who come to Doon Hospital’s Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) Centre from far-off places, the Government has proposed to start another ATR Centre at Sobhan Singh Base Hospital, Haldwani.
According to sources in Uttarakhand State Aids Control Society (USACS), if everything goes as per plan, the new centre would come up in five months time.
Presently, Uttarakhand’s only ART Centre operates from Doon Hospital, where HIV + and Aids patients are given free drugs. To facilitate affordable treatment for poor patients, USACS has tied up Doon Hospital’s ART Centre with Kargi-based (3 km distance from Doon Hospital) Hope Community Care Centre, where HIV+ patients are provided free shelter, medicines and food.
Since 1 January, 2009, as many as 205 HIV+ fresh cases have been detected from all over the state. Of the case detected till this year, the maximum were from Doon Hospital ICTC (50) and Jolly Grant Hospital (24). The total number of cases since 2002 stands at 2027 HIV+ cases.
Talking to Garhwal Post, Manisha Raturi, Assistant Director, Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC), said that as of now, there were 45 ICTCs spread all over the state. The maximum numbers of ICTCs were located in Dehradun District (8) while the least number was in Bageshwar District (2).
ICTCs in Dehradun District are at CHC Sahiya, Doon Women’s Hospital, Doon Hospital, Herbertpur Christian Hospital, Jolly Grant Hospital, Himalaya Institute Hospital, Landour Community Hospital (Mussoorie) and SPS Govt Hospital (Rishikesh).
“These ICTCs are manned by a counsellor and a lab technician. Here, anyone with doubts can come and undergo free HIV tests,” said Raturi, adding that at present there were two vacancies for counsellors, ‘which would be filled soon’. Recently, at Jakholi (Rudprayag), a new ICTC has also been set up.
However, once tested positive, poor patients, who cannot afford private medical treatment, are forced to come to the ART Centre based at Doon Hospital for free medicines. “This would change once the new ART centre comes up in Kumaon Region (Haldwani),” disclosed Raturi.
According to Lawrence Singh, Project Coordinator of Hope Community Care Centre (an NGO), there ‘are six patients at our centre’. “Most of them are from Kumaon region,” he said, adding that their monthly average number of patients stands around 200 HIV + patients.
Among other facilities, the 10-beded Care Centre has an in-house full time doctor apart from three nurses, 4 outreach workers and a cook. “Everyday, we bring the patients to Doon Hospital’s ART Centre for daily check up by van,” he said, pointing out that at regular intervals, the patients are also made to undergo CD4 tests (to find out the number of white blood cells).
“Treatment at ART centre begins once CD4 counts fall below 250 (the figure for a normal person stands at 500-1000),” said Lawrence, stating that entire cost for the treatment of the patients at the Care Centre ‘is borne by USACS’.
http://www.garhwalpost.com/index.php?mod=article&cat=Dehradun&article=1345
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