Andhra Pradesh: The rate of suicides is alarmingly high among postive people

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Andhra Pradesh: HIV positive patient ends life at hospital

Hyderabad, Nov 21

Unable to bear the stigma of being HIV positive, a truck driver

committed suicide by hanging himself at a hospital in Andhra Pradesh'

coastal city of Visakhapatnam in southern India.

R. Krishna was found hanging from the ceiling at the King

Hospital Thursday.

The 40-year-old's body was found in the sexually transmitted diseases

(STD) wing of the skin diseases ward of the hospital.

Krishna, who had been admitted to hospital on Tuesday, is survived by

his wife, two daughters and a son. He had been tested HIV positive at

a hospital in his native town of Saluru. He was then advised to admit

himself to a bigger hospital.

Hospital Superintendent S. Saigopal said though the patient had

tested positive, a few more tests had been conducted and their

results were awaited.

" Krishna was found dead on Thursday morning. Since it was not an

emergency ward there was no watch and ward staff to keep a vigil, " he

told local reporters.

Doctors said Krishna was depressed and was suffering from high fever,

cough and a lung infection.

They said he might have resorted to taking his life because he could

not bear the stigma of being HIV positive.

The news could not have come at a more inopportune moment.

Besides the devastating news that he might get AIDS, Krishna had also

lost his job and was facing a financial crisis. The truck owner had

sacked him following the seizure of his vehicle after it was involved

in an accident.

Krishna may have gone but there are apprehensions that his family

might also be HIV positive. Doctors are now planning to conduct tests

on them.

According to the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), Andhra

Pradesh has 400,000 HIV/AIDS patients, the second highest after

Maharashtra and about 10 percent of the total 4.5 million cases in

India.

A recent survey by NACO also revealed that Andhra Pradesh has

recorded the highest prevalence of STDs in the country.

Activists working with HIV/AIDS patients said there had been several

suicides because authorities failed to get proper counselling for the

patients.

The rate of suicides is alarmingly high. NGOs have said three to four

HIV/AIDS patients committed suicides every month.

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