Manipur: Free bus travel for HIV positives

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Free bus travel for HIV positives

Akoijam Sunita. Dated: 12th December, 2006, The Imphal Free Press

Imphal,Dec 11: Charity begins at home. And charity also begins whenever a good

Samaritan decides to do good turn for his fellow brothers and sisters.

Angom Pamcha and Khaidem Bijoychand of Sugunu have taken a simple but very

significant decision which will change the lives of many people living with

HIV/AIDS in Sugunu.

Sugunu, located 50 km away from Imphal, is connected with Imphal by daily bus

services. It takes between three to three and half hours to travel between the

two destinations. For the poor people living with HIV/AIDS in Sugnu, traveling

to Imphal to get ART is expensive affair. Above the Rs. 70 paid as bus fare, one

has to spend around Rs 40 for lunch and some more money for the to and fro from

the bus stop to the hospital.

Now some problems are things of past after two bus owners, Angom Pamcha and

Khaidem Bijoychand of Sugunu have volunteered to provide free bus travel to HIV

positive people who have to go to Imphal. A special card, signed by the infected

person and the transporter, will be issued for HIV positive people soon.

However, they are already allowed to travel free of cost on the Superfast bus

and Khaidem Travels.

Secretary of Sugunu Network of Positive People(SNP+), Gouro said, " Often

children, who are mostly orphan, have to be taken to the hospital for medicines.

They always require a guardian and this makes the cost double. But now with this

facility, significant amount of money will saved and we will have lesser

tension, " He said that the transporters have assured that the card holders will

be accommodated in the buses plying under their network.

Gouro conveyed Angom Pamcha, who is thhe chairman of the southern Manipur bus

transport cooperative society said that he will create awreness about the needs

of the PLHA among other transporters.

Abhiram Mongjam state coordinator Population Foundation said " PFI and MNP+

together have come together and a project called ACT (assist to care and

treatment) is being undertaken. Under this project advocacy was done among the

transporters of Sugnu and they were sensitized about the problems faced

specially by the children and widows in getting ART at Imphal " .

He said that the fact that two bus owners from this area which have high level

of stigma and discrimination, have volunteered is a good sign and added that

others might follow their example.

Gouro said that SNP+ alone has 200 members and 50 are on ART. He said that due

to financial constraints they prefer going to Churachandpur district hospital

where no charge is taken except Rs. 50 for Hepatitis B test. He said that one

has to spend Rs. 2200 at private hospitals for CD4 count, LFT, Hep B and C test,

hemoglobin test etc.

But the same is available at just Rs. 1300 the Govt. Hospitals but this

" required at least two days stay at Imphal, which is expensive and

inconvenient " .

Speaking about the general prevailing HIV/AIDS scenario at Sugnu Gouro said, "

there is neither AMADA nor CADA in Sugnu. People are poor yet everything is

available at aprice. Injecting drug is the biggest problem and now we have many

widows and children living with HIV/AIDS " .

He said that till date there are report of 39 children being positive in Sugnu

alone, " there is PPTCT facility at Thoubal but not at Sugnu proper, health care

facility is pathetic, we just have a regular nurse but no regular Doctors " Gouro

said.

Inspite of the hardship faced in different fronts people living with HIV/AIDS in

Sugnu now have reason to smile and let out a long sigh of relief since the

community is providing the mass needed helping hand.

The two transport owners have set good examples, it is now upto others to follow

them.

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ratan singh <ratanng@...>