India: Patients show how to stay positive despite HIV
by Anand ST Das, Chandigarh Newsline, August 20, 2005
Chandigarh--When one sees Brajesh Dubey of Jaipur delivering an energetic lecture on the plights of India’s HIV-positive people and punctuating his lecture with wit and humour, it is hard to believe he is HIV-positive himself.
This 35-year-old man, now a volunteer working for HIV-positive people in Rajasthan, says the ‘‘useless feeling of stigma’’ has done more damage to India’s HIV-positive people and AIDS patients than the lack of facilities for diagnosis and proper treatment.
Dubey is an example of a growing population of HIV-positive people who are no longer afraid to come out of their shells. Unlike about a year ago, they are now eager to get together for their cause and make the government machinery respond to their needs of proper treatment and the society to see them as equals.
‘‘The government needs to translate its promises into action. We aim at ensuring this,’’ said Chennai-based David Daisy, who is HIV-positive and works with an NGO for HIV-positive people. Like Dubey, she was in city to participate in a two-day national conference of People Living With HIV-AIDS (PLWHA), organised by NGOs- Voluntary Health Association of Punjab (VHAP) and Human Rights Law Network (HRLN).
Naresh Yadav, who heads a network of HIV-AIDS people in Uttar Pradesh, said: ‘‘HIV-AIDS patients are fast learning to come out of their closets’’.
VHAP executive director Manmohan Sharma said: ‘‘Growing awareness among the people is bringing about this welcome change. Such rising levels of awareness will soon make combatting the scourge of HIV-AIDS easier.’’
VHAP, which works on socio-economic development issues, is now trying to form networks of PLWHA in northern states. Although such networks have become vibrant groups in southern states, Sharma said they hardly exist in north India.
PLWHA leaders had discussions on the prevalent system of anti-retroval therapy (ARV) and how to make this system ‘‘truly friendly’’. Officials from the AIDS Control Society also took part in the conference.
Chandigarh State AIDS Control Society project director Dr Sonia Trikha urged the participants to form networks for follow-up treatment of HIV-AIDS patients.
HRLN director and noted Supreme Court lawyer Colin Gonsalves said: ‘‘The government’s machinery still lacks in its response. However, joint efforts by the PLWHA networks and agencies like NACO and state AIDS control bodies would improve the situation’’.
Source: Chandigarh Newsline
Chandigarh--When one sees Brajesh Dubey of Jaipur delivering an energetic lecture on the plights of India’s HIV-positive people and punctuating his lecture with wit and humour, it is hard to believe he is HIV-positive himself.
This 35-year-old man, now a volunteer working for HIV-positive people in Rajasthan, says the ‘‘useless feeling of stigma’’ has done more damage to India’s HIV-positive people and AIDS patients than the lack of facilities for diagnosis and proper treatment.
Dubey is an example of a growing population of HIV-positive people who are no longer afraid to come out of their shells. Unlike about a year ago, they are now eager to get together for their cause and make the government machinery respond to their needs of proper treatment and the society to see them as equals.
‘‘The government needs to translate its promises into action. We aim at ensuring this,’’ said Chennai-based David Daisy, who is HIV-positive and works with an NGO for HIV-positive people. Like Dubey, she was in city to participate in a two-day national conference of People Living With HIV-AIDS (PLWHA), organised by NGOs- Voluntary Health Association of Punjab (VHAP) and Human Rights Law Network (HRLN).
Naresh Yadav, who heads a network of HIV-AIDS people in Uttar Pradesh, said: ‘‘HIV-AIDS patients are fast learning to come out of their closets’’.
VHAP executive director Manmohan Sharma said: ‘‘Growing awareness among the people is bringing about this welcome change. Such rising levels of awareness will soon make combatting the scourge of HIV-AIDS easier.’’
VHAP, which works on socio-economic development issues, is now trying to form networks of PLWHA in northern states. Although such networks have become vibrant groups in southern states, Sharma said they hardly exist in north India.
PLWHA leaders had discussions on the prevalent system of anti-retroval therapy (ARV) and how to make this system ‘‘truly friendly’’. Officials from the AIDS Control Society also took part in the conference.
Chandigarh State AIDS Control Society project director Dr Sonia Trikha urged the participants to form networks for follow-up treatment of HIV-AIDS patients.
HRLN director and noted Supreme Court lawyer Colin Gonsalves said: ‘‘The government’s machinery still lacks in its response. However, joint efforts by the PLWHA networks and agencies like NACO and state AIDS control bodies would improve the situation’’.
Source: Chandigarh Newsline
posted by AIDS-Care-Watch at 9:52 am
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