PUNE: People living with HIV, who are dependent on the life-saving second line antiretroviral therapy (ART) drugs in the city, are forced to go without it owing to the short supply of medicines. The ART centre at B J Medical College that provides second line ART drugs free of costhas been facing the shortage for a week now. There are around 60 patients who require daily dose of the drug.
"We provide the drugs free of cost to around 55 to 60 patients on designated two days in a week. Patients need to take these drugs every day," said a staff at the ART centre at BJMC.
The hospital had to supply 3,000 tablets of retonovir, a second line ART drug, to a government medical college in Bangalore a few days ago and the supplied number of tablets were not replenished in time, resulting in short-supply, said the staff.
As a result, patients visiting the centre have been going empty-handed. "The shortage has forced us to buy the medicine in the open market. These drugs are very expensive. Many of us have stopped the life-saving drugs due to the expensess involved," said a HIV patient.
ART is a combination of highly advanced drugs meant to fight HIV infection and increase life expectancy. If the first line of treatment is not adequate to bring down the viral load, patients are given the second line of drugs. Both these regimens are provided free of cost by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), the country's nodal agency for prevention and control of HIV/AIDS.
Mumbai's J J Hospital and the three ART sub-centres at BJ Medical College, Pune, Government Medical College, Nagpur and Government Medical College, Aurangabad, provide second line ART treatment free of cost. There are total 1,000 HIV patients who require the advanced treatment in Maharashtra.
When contacted, Dilip Deshmukh, additional director of Maharashtra State AIDS Control Society (MSACS), confirmed the shortageof the drug at BJMC ART centre. "I have received information about the short supply of the drugs. All HIV medicines are being supplied by NACO and respective state AIDS control society only oversees the distribution of these drugs. The issue will be put forth before the NACO officials. We will see that the shortage is replenished immediately," Deshmukh said.
Officials of the NACO said the sudden increase in number of patients receiving second line of treatment has caused the shortage of these drugs.
Healthcare experts and NGOs fear this would increase the number of patients dropping out of the drug regimen, causing more cases of drug resistance.
"We provide the drugs free of cost to around 55 to 60 patients on designated two days in a week. Patients need to take these drugs every day," said a staff at the ART centre at BJMC.
The hospital had to supply 3,000 tablets of retonovir, a second line ART drug, to a government medical college in Bangalore a few days ago and the supplied number of tablets were not replenished in time, resulting in short-supply, said the staff.
As a result, patients visiting the centre have been going empty-handed. "The shortage has forced us to buy the medicine in the open market. These drugs are very expensive. Many of us have stopped the life-saving drugs due to the expensess involved," said a HIV patient.
ART is a combination of highly advanced drugs meant to fight HIV infection and increase life expectancy. If the first line of treatment is not adequate to bring down the viral load, patients are given the second line of drugs. Both these regimens are provided free of cost by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), the country's nodal agency for prevention and control of HIV/AIDS.
Mumbai's J J Hospital and the three ART sub-centres at BJ Medical College, Pune, Government Medical College, Nagpur and Government Medical College, Aurangabad, provide second line ART treatment free of cost. There are total 1,000 HIV patients who require the advanced treatment in Maharashtra.
When contacted, Dilip Deshmukh, additional director of Maharashtra State AIDS Control Society (MSACS), confirmed the shortageof the drug at BJMC ART centre. "I have received information about the short supply of the drugs. All HIV medicines are being supplied by NACO and respective state AIDS control society only oversees the distribution of these drugs. The issue will be put forth before the NACO officials. We will see that the shortage is replenished immediately," Deshmukh said.
Officials of the NACO said the sudden increase in number of patients receiving second line of treatment has caused the shortage of these drugs.
Healthcare experts and NGOs fear this would increase the number of patients dropping out of the drug regimen, causing more cases of drug resistance.