PLHIVs denounce strike of MACS contractual staffs
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, March 22 2012: The indefinite cease work strike of the contractual staffs of MACS that put a halt on dispensing monthly ART doses to people accessing ART services thereby endangering their lives has been denounced as gross violation of Right to Life of the PLHIVs in the state.

Addressing a press conference convened by Drugs and HIV & AIDS Workers Recovery Alliance at the office of MNP+ at Yaiskul today, Vikram of Life Line Foundation pointed out that stoppage of dispensing ART drugs to PLHIVs would create the problem drug adherence to them.

Howsoever reasonable it may be, contractual workers of MACS should not carry out their agitation to press their demands at the cost of PLHIVs.

The agitators should look for an alternative approach and ensure availability of ART drugs to the needy, Vikram said.

He also pointed out that around 300 contractual staffs of MACS are putting the lives of more than 10,000 PLHIVs at stake and this is quite unreasonable.

The two decades long struggle for combating HIV/AIDS epidemic has been made useless on account of the cease work strike.

Bobo of AMADA, who was also present in the press conference, noted that unlike any other medicines, ART drug is something which cannot be obtained from any place.

As such, unavailability of ART drug would lead to drug adherence problem and death of PLHIVs.

He also asserted that the agitators should look for an alternative agitation.

If the agitation continues and the PLHIVs are made to suffer, they would in turn be compelled to launch intense agitation for getting ART medicines at any cost.

President of MNP+, Deepak, said that even during war time, patients are not deprived of medicines.

As such the contractual staffs of MACS who are on an indefinite cease work strike should think of an alternative agitation to the present one.

All the PLHIVs and CSOs/NGOs working in the field of HIV/AIDS would also support them.

Deepak also appealed to MACS for arriving at an amicable solution with the agitators and to give the contractual staffs their rightful wages so as to save the lives of PLHIVs.

The Alliance would be meeting authority concerned in this regard, he informed.

The press conference was also attended by Shashikumar, General Secretary of SASO, Jogeshchandra of USER Manipur and members of Kripa Society, POP+, Care Foundation, Manipur Drug Users' Forum, KRIPA Society and KRIPA Foundation.

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