Re: 75% Travel Concession at the cost of Forceful PublicDisclosure in Rajasthan!

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum Members,

Re: /message/7391

Snehansu Bhaduri has raised an important issue and needs to be debated

thoroughly.

At the outset, I admire the commitment of the rajasthan Government in providing

75% concession in Bus Fare and this really takes care of chunk of travel

expenses incurred by the HIV/AIDS patients in seeking treatment at public

hospitals.

Even such a gesture from the Railway Ministry is long awaited. If you go through

the current rules and regulations of the

Railway Ministry vis-a-vis different schemes of Railway Concessions for

different categories of patients viz. Blind, Deaf/Mute, Heart Patients, Leprosy,

Tuberculosis, Physically Handicapped, Cancer etc., every where diagnosis of the

patient is must.

How else otherwise, one could categorise a genuine beneficiary and a cheat?

Being one of the referees for the Scholarship Committee of an Intl. AIDS

Conference a couple of years back, I remember even a doctor claimed himself to

be HIV +ve (without being one) just to get the benefit of Scholarship to attend

the conf.

With due respect to Human Rights activism, I personally do not see any other

option of providing benefit and yet not identifying the beneficiary, at least on

the travel document!

Dr. I S Gilada

Hon. sec., Peoples Health Organisation and AIDS Society of India

E-MAIL: ihoaids@...

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

Re: /message/7401

It is truly distressing that some physicians are attempting to misuse the

privileges extended to people with HIV.

With regards to the issue however, I agree with Snehansu Bhaduri. Is

it really necessary to have a diagnosis imprinted on an identification card that

is to be used in a public transport system?

Wouldn't it be easier to have a uniform travel concession application, and share

the diagnosis only in the application form to the relevant authorities and not

the identification card itself?

While the program itself is to be commended, it's purpose should not

be defeated due to such actions. It would be useful to have a consumer

(HIV-infected patient) on the committee, when designing such programs.

Regards,

Kumara Singaravelu, MBBS, MPH

New York County Health Services Review Organization

e-mail: <kcvel@...>