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AIDS patients seek cover under welfare schemes
These people, who are hoping against hope for benefiting from government welfare schemes have now resigned themselves to their fate as they are destined to die premature deaths. For over a decade, the Anantha Network of Positives had been urging the government to extend concessional RTC passes to the victims as they have to travel every month to their regional ART centres for medicines.
Anantapur: There are 6,000 plus HIV/AIDS patients languishing in sub-human conditions in the district. Many of them are in their evening of life waiting for their turn to die but for over a decade, the Anantha Network of Positives headed by G Veeranjaneyulu which had been working for the welfare of the HIV/AIDS victims had been fighting a losing battle with the government over bringing all the HIV/AIDS victims and their families under the government welfare schemes including housing and government pension scheme.
These people, who are hoping against hope for benefiting from government welfare schemes have now resigned themselves to their fate as they are destined to die premature deaths. For over a decade, the Anantha Network of Positives had been urging the government to extend concessional RTC passes to the victims as they have to travel every month to their regional ART centres for medicines.
These unfortunate AIDS victims hardly get work due to the social stigma attached to HIV. They live far away from the society which ostracised them and had ex-communicated them from the social life. Also, there are 10,000 adults, who are demanding pensions under the government's welfare programme. The state government had in the past extended RTC concessional passes for a couple of years and had failed to renew them again.
The government has covered only 3,000 victims under the pension scheme out of 10,000, who are eligible for pension. Similarly, about 500 victims are demanding houses under the NTR Housing Scheme. The government had given 65 house pattas only out of the eligible 500 persons. The government has not constructed houses to the pattadar holders. The Network of Positives also tapped the doors of RDT, a noted NGO sanctioning of houses under their housing programme. There are 500 HIV positive children whose future is hanging in the balance.
Veeranjaneyulu speaking to The Hans India says that the days of the AIDs victims are numbered. Unless, pension amounts are increased to Rs 2,000 from Rs 1,000, they cannot offer nutritional diet to their children and their family members. Medicines are crucial for HIV victims and the government is supplying them at the ART centres in government hospitals.
Of late, HIV drugs are in shortage and many victims are returning home empty handed after the ART doctors informed them of drugs shortage. The ZLN and the Paediatric KRT medicines which are administered to adults and children respectively are not available in ART centres. These medicines are crucial for survival of HIV patients and there should be continuity in the using of medicines. The AIDS patients are demanding for immediate intervention of APSACS for speedy delivery of medicines.
By Ravi P Benjamin
