DIPAYAL: The number of HIV/AIDS victims has been alarmingly increasing in the Far-Western Region within the past couple of years. According to a data complied by the Regional Health Directorate, altogether 137 people died of HIV/AIDS in the region within the last two years. Among the dead, Doti district recorded the highest number of deaths with 55 people succumbing to the disease. Of them 98 lost their lives in the last one year period. The number of people living with HIV/AIDS too is surging over the period. Dayakrishna Panta, chief, HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis Department, Regional Health Directorate, admits the deaths of 137 HIV positives in two years time. According to him, the deceased are the people who returned from their employment in India. ''Most of them are returnees from India who often come at the last stage of their life with the disease.'' The data also reveals that the more 465 people have been diagnosed with HIV positive in the same period. "It shows the disease is affecting the people at an alarming rate,'' said, Mahendra Shrestha, senior administrator, District Public Health Office, Doti. "Though the HIV-infected people have started uniting, most of the patients could not come to public due to the fear of the society's tendency of looking them down," Shrestha added. Though there are many private organisations claiming to be working for the welfare of the HIV-positives, their attempts have been limited in the urban areas and thus ineffective in stopping the disease from spreading. Panta said, "The government should allocate enough budget to help tackle the further spreading of the disease in the area.'' The health staffers, however, lamented the government was yet to pay heed to control such trend though the patients were increasing the every other day. Panta said the government should not rely solely on the NGOs and INGOs to work in this sector.