Punjab: 178 police personnel are HIV+ve in the district of Tarn Taran

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Drug abuse lands cops in deadly mess

22 Apr 2008, 0346 hrs IST , Yudhvir Rana & Shivani Mehra , TNN

AMRITSAR: Rampant drug abuse and unsafe sex is pricking hard the

Punjab Police, jeopardizing the lives of as many as 178 police

personnel in the district of Tarn Taran alone. What has only

compounded their case is the indifferent attitude of government,

which is yet to wake up to the ticking bomb within its ranks.

In startling revelations that should be enough to jolt the police

top brass, Sandeep Kakkar, the senior medical officer at Police

Hospital, Tarn Taran, told TOI on Monday that during a health check-

up doctors found 178 police personnel carrying the Hepatitis B, C

and HIV virus.

" In fact, 72 of the 178 who tested positive for these dreaded

diseases have been shortlisted as critical, " he said, adding that

because expenditure involved in treating Hepatitis C was Rs 3.30

lakh per person, the only way these cops could possibly survive was

with government aid.

Every Hepatitis B or C patient has to be given Alpha B 2 Interferon

injection that costs around Rs 14,000 each and 24 such injections

have to be given to complete the course.

" None of the police personnel is in a position to spend this much

money and they are inching towards death due to lack of treatment, "

Kakkar said.

" Unclean syringes used by the drug addicts in the police department

coupled with unsafe sex practiced by some of them are the major

causes of the deadly viruses spreading. "

IG, Border Range, Rajpal Meena admitted that drug addiction was a

major problem in Tarn Taran district and it was seriously affecting

the police force.

He said he had already taken up with the DGP the issue of treatment

of the infected cops.

Others too have stepped up efforts to have the suffering police

personnel treated urgently. AK Vermani, an advocate, informed that

sub-inspector Sucha Singh and head constable Balbir Singh have filed

a petition in court seeking immediate financial help for the 72

critical cops.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Punjab_Police_plagued_by_dr

ug_abuse/articleshow/2969652.cms