Doctors join hands for Indian HIV patients

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Doctors join hands for Indian HIV patients

Radha Sharma, TNN 14 December 2009,

AHMEDABAD: Given birth to India's first, three doctors, including Ahmedabad's

infectious diseases specialist Dr Atul Patel, have started a help group that

will focus on imparting training to local physicians to give HIV patients a

uniform quality treatment. On Sunday, an NGO named HIV Medicine Association of

India (HIVMAI) was launched in Pune.

HIVMAI is specifically for doctors attending to HIV patients in India. This is

the first time HIV specialists have joined hands to form a not-for-profit body

that shall focus of problems of Indian positive patients.

The reason behind this focused effort is that HIV patients in the country suffer

from a variety of conditions that their counterparts in developed countries do

not face.

" For instance HIV patients in India have high rates of tuberculosis and

hepatitis, which we do not see in developed countries. Besides, there are

resource constrains so families cannot afford good nourishment for the patient.

And cost of effective drugs and diagnostics are prohibitive for most, " according

to one of the founder members of the organisation, N Kumaraswamy.

" We need to engage in India-specific clinical research and clinical trials, so

that our treatment standards reflect India's unique HIV infection condition, "

Kumaraswamy says.

Patel, however, added that HIVMAI hopes to outline and implement programs and

guidelines that can influence government programs when it comes to HIV

mitigation.

" Newer challenges like drug resistance, anti-Retroviral toxicity and complex

drug interactions are issues we face in India. The website of the NGO would be a

resource for all doctors interested in HIV medicine and also contains clinical

information for people living with AIDS, " Patel says.

There are three British NGOs that have joined hands with HIVMAI for the purpose

of imparting training for doctors and sharing information.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Doctors-join-hands-for-Indian-\

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