An Open Appeal to Dr. Manmohan Singh, Honourable PM of India for 2nd Live ARV

[Guest guest]

An Open Appeal to Dr. Manmohan Singh, Honourable Prime Minister of

India For Rollout of Second–Line Anti Retroviral Treatment in India

Dr. Manmohan Singh

The Honorable Prime Minister of India

South Block, Raisina Hill

New Delhi, India

Honorable Prime Minister,

This is an open appeal to your good office to address the urgent need

to rollout second-line anti-retroviral drugs in India. We, the

undersigned members of civil society groups take this opportunity to

bring to your kind attention the crisis faced by people living with

HIVAIDS (PLHA) and request you for a time bound action to save

valuable lives.

We laud your landmark decision to take on the responsibility to Chair

the National AIDS Council (NAC) in 2006; the highest authority to

address HIVAIDS in our country. The NAC promotes various ministries

to take cognizance of the epidemic and increase their

responsibilities in HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. The

National AIDS Council gave new hope to millions of people living with

HIVAIDS in India.

Today's `Independent India' is a strong global leader, which is built

on the foundations of more than one billion people's faith in

democracy that constitute its core strength. We request your

leadership to safeguard the interest and protect the constitutional

right to life of the people living with HIVAIDS.

National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) has provided free first-

line anti-retroviral drugs in a number of sites to people who are in

need and who otherwise could not have accessed anti-retroviral

medicines. However, there is an urgent need for expanded treatment

services including second-line anti-retroviral drugs and a vibrant

public health action plan.

NACP III envisages increased services to reach a larger number of

people, especially from rural areas in an uninterrupted and efficient

manner. Today, nationally, 280,000 people living with HIVAIDS

are `registered' at government ART centers, of whom 105,000 persons

are on first-line ART . The first-line treatment has saved and

extended quality of life to many people living with HIVAIDS. However,

there is an increasing number of people who have already developed

resistance to these drugs. As a result, an alarming number of people

have begun to succumb to the disease due to non-availability of

second-line ART treatment in the government program.

India is a signatory to United Nations goal of Universal Access to

Treatment for all by 2010. The need of the hour is a strong political

will to address treatment, care and support for HIVAIDS.

We appeal to you for your immediate intervention and come to the

rescue of thousands of HIVAIDS infected children, women and men who

are facing imminent death due to unavailability of the life saving

second-line drugs.

The people of India cry out for your help.

Sincerely yours –

CATA

Coalition for AIDS Treatment Access..... more than 30 has

signed on already including World Vision, Amnesty Intl., IMP

Chinkholal Thangsing

e-mail: <Chinkholal.Thangsing@...>