Nutritional supplement and appointment of Peer counsellor in Varanasi

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

Humbly I would like to draw your kind attention towards Varanasi

district where 1,100 PLHIV exist. Most of them belongs to a lower class and

can't afford two times meal in a day. Specially the PLHIV widow and children.

After the death of their husband they neither get economic support nor emotional

support. So they have to struggle more for their survival.

ART Centers provide the PLHIV free medical facility but they also require

nutritional diet along with the medicine to improve their health because only

medicine cannot boost up anyone's health. But they are debarred by it. So their

health is detoriating.

About 72-78 PLHIV are also coming for 2nd line treatment. In Varanasi central 

jail there are approximately 18 prisoners who are HIV + . They are also not

getting the sufficient nutrition.

Due to this reason they are not only loosing their health but  also they  are

becoming the patient of T.B and suffering from different  opportunistic

infections as they have less immunity

power to fight against any other infection. Thus mortality rate is increasing

day to day.

Keeping all these in  view if in UP, ART Centre make both arrangement then  the

PLHIV  enable to get both medicine and nutritional supplement to fasten their

recovery.

I would also like to place my suggestion in the appointment of peer counselor at

ART Centre for PLHIVs better counseling & also highlighting the issues related

to them because it will help in extending the network of PLHIV and maintain good

communication channel.

If the PLHIV is appointed at the post of peer counselor at the center they

understand feeling of a PLHA and helpful to identifying their

problems and provide a good counseling as and when the PLHIV required. It will

decrease the mortality rate of PLHIV through regular in depth counseling. And

also it gives better response in drug adherence. 

We are highlighting these issues because this is a challenge in HIV prevention.

I request you and hope after reading this, you will take necessary steps in

right spirit and we will highly oblige to you for your kind cooperation.

Thanking you!

Regards

Gopal Gaur

Community member

e-mail: <gopalgour42@...>