E-Paper
Curfew in Ludhiana: Stranded HIV patients find a saviour in civil hospital centre
The anti-retroviral treatment centre has given 90 days’ worth of medicine to over 150 patients from Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh who are stuck in the city amid the lockdown
The anti-retroviral treatment (ART) centres under the Punjab State Aids Control Society are ensuring that HIV positive patients, whose immune system is already compromised due to their condition, get medication, irrespective of the place they are stuck in due to the curfew to contain the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
The ART centres provide treatment and lifelong care to HIV positive patients for free. Those with low immunity are at higher risk of getting infected with Covid-19.
Davinder Singh, counsellor in the ART centre based in the Ludhiana civil hospital, which is treating around 4,000 registered patients, said, “Ever since the lockdown, the centre has received over 150 patients from different states including Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, who had either come to visit a relative or were in the city for other work but are now stuck here and have run out of medicine stock.”
“There are many individuals who are not even carrying the treatment card which is required during their routine visit to the ART centres they are registered with, while many only have the wrappers of the medicines,” said Singh, adding that they are keeping these centres in the loop while providing medicines to the individuals.
The ART centre is now providing the patients medicines for 90 days against the usual 30 days to save them the commute.
COUNSELLING SUSPENDED
Singh said the centre has also temporarily stopped the counselling for HIV positive patients, including jail inmates, so that they do not have to struggle to get to the centre amid the lockdown, and stay safe at their houses with enough medication.
