House urged to discuss shortage of ART in state
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, August 02 2022:
HIV/AIDS afflicted people have urged the government to take up the issue of unavailability of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) medicines in the state for the last three months during the ongoing monsoon session of Manipur Legislative Assembly and come up with a solution to prevent any such shortages in the future.
Speaking to newspersons on Tuesday, a HIV/AIDS afflicted person informed that the state has been facing shortage of ART medicines since April, with 11 government ART centres and 2 NGO centres citing lack of stock for the 14,000 people who are in need of the medicines.
This shortage/unavailability could be regarded as an act of looking down on HIV/AIDS afflicted groups, as if their lives do not mean nothing.
Thus, the person appealed to the Chief Minister and the Health Minister to look into the matter and resolve the suffering of those in urgent need of the medicines.
The person further stated that some ART centres are providing different medicines, particularly atazanavir/ritonavir tablets to clients, who have been taking lopinavir/ritonavir tablets.
Some tablets meant for children are being given to adults while those meant for 1-line are being given to 2-line.As such, the person appealed for the matter to be taken up in the House and a decision be taken to prevent any future such occurrences.