BPL limit hurting poor AIDS patients

[Guest guest]

2 November 2009 CHANDIGARH: The government's definition of poverty is something

that does not work for AIDS patients and HIV positive individuals.

Only those families that have income less than Rs 432.09 per capita per month,

can avail of below poverty line (BPL) facilities.

However, AIDS patients have to spend Rs 1,500 per month on medication and also

need extra supplements to counter the side effects of antiretroviral treatment

(ART), which is almost as tough on the body as chemotherapy.

So while they may be earning above the BPL limit, the effective income of many

AIDS patients tends to be quite low.

Sources say there are around 100 families with HIV positive members or AIDS

patients in the city that are suffering due to the low income limit, which was

set 10 years ago. Only three such families here have been recognized under the

BPL category.

Supreme Court had recently directed National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) to

work with state governments regarding a scheme for including these patients

under the BPL category's Antyodaya Yojana (AAY), so they can get

nutritional support.

NACO guidelines say HIV patients taking ART need supplements apart from proper

nutrition.

Pooja Thakur, president of the NGO — Chandigarh Network of Positive People —

said, " In a city like ours, which has very high per capita income, the BPL limit

means almost no AIDS patient can be included in the scheme. "

United Nations sanctions funds amounting to crores of rupees to states and UTs

for HIV positive individuals.

As part of that effort, civic bodies get NGOs to conduct surveys to recognize

patients and provide them with facilities.

Chandigarh municipal corporation's joint commissioner TPS Phoolka said, " We are

helpless with the BPL limit as only Centre can change it. "

Project director of Urban Poverty Alleviation and Livelihood Cell, Vivek

Trivedi, while talking about the surveys, said, " There should be extensive field

work to recognize these patients and provide them benefits of the government

schemes. "

Firoz Khan of Human Rights Law Network, New Delhi, said, " We are working to

enable patients get facilities that a BPL individual gets. AIDS affected can

also get handicapped due to severe infection. So they need more help. "

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/BPL-limit-hurting-poor-AIDS-p\

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