Dial a help: Dr Geeta Bhave’s Samvedan trust

March 15, 2004

Dial-a- help

Dr Geeta Bhave's Samvedan trust not only counsels patients with HIV/AIDS but

also reaches out to them through its helpline

Nisha Nambiar

Pune, February 29: ``I am suffering from HIV and my wife doesn't know and

neither do my bosses at the multinational company I work in. I have two

children. I want to end my life'' says a caller. Counsels a calm voice at the

other end, ``Don't hide the condition from your close family members, especially

your wife. In fact, let her check for HIV too. Please, don't think of this as an

end. Don't give up. Please come and meet me.''

Thus starts another session. Umpteen such calls are answered to, patiently, by

Dr Geeta Bhave, founder of the Samvedan trust which works on HIV/AIDS prevention

and holistic treatment besides running a helpline.

Having centres in Mumbai, Nasik and Pune, Bhave is busy shuttling between the

three centres, reaching out to patients in need. ``This is now part of my

lifestyle,'' smiles Bhave. A microbiologist, pathologist and a homeopath, Bhave

had been appointed incharge of the first 40 AIDS surveillance centres started by

the government of India and the Indian Council of Medical Research in KEM

Hospital (Mumbai).

``At that time the disease was totally unheard of hence the stigma and fear

attached to it was tremendous. Most didn't even want to be tested then,''

recollects Bhave. But far from deterring her this spurred Bhave onto taking on

the area most likely to be affected by the spread of the disease-the red light

area. `It was a huge task and there was no cooperation initially. Slowly my

interactions with the sex workers convinced them to have their blood checked and

this was an achievement,''says Bhave. ``We collected more than 5000 samples

from the area in the first year,'' she states.

After her retirement from KEM in Mumbai, in 1999, her will to work for the

society initiated her to start the Samvedan trust which exclusively works for

HIV/Aids patients. Bhave along with her team of counsellors Ujjawala Lawat and

Sushma Apte also attend tohelpline calls that number about 30 a day.

People also flock to her for her well-known holistic approach to the disease.

``I believe in the efficacy of yoga and the importance of exercise. Also there

are many medicines in homeopathy that tackle anger and depression and help the

infected person,'' says the remarkable lady who is just a dial away for all

those in deep distress.

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