Kathmandu, January 9:

The Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) is providing free Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ARV) Therapy to 50 such needy patients from January 12 with support from National Centre for AIDS and STD Control (NCASC), under the Ministry of Health and Population.

Dr Shashi Sharma, chairman of the HIV/ AIDS Committee at TUTH, told this daily that the hospital would provide ARV treatment to 50 patients.

“Especially those who cannot afford for the treatment will be benefited from the programme,” said Dr Sharma.

“We had been asking for it for so long from the government but lately it has agreed to provide free ARV to 50 patients,” he said. “The NCASC has assured us that they will increase the number after six months as per the National AIDS Policy.”

Currently 36 patients are undergoing ARV therapy at TUTH by paying fees. It is estimated that about 15,000 people are in need of ARV treatment in Nepal. But as per the reported cases in NCASC, only 500 people are in need of ARV treatment.

Similarly, the Department for International Development (DFID) is providing free treatment to drug addicts in all 20 treatment centers from this January. It will cater to 100 needy patients a year.

Rajiv Kafle, chairman of Nava Kiran Plus, said 20 clinics out of 25 would provide free treatment to those who want to come out of drug addiction. “It used to cost around Rs 6,000 per month for the service earlier,” said Kafle at a programme earlier today. The government has recently scaled up the ARVT programme in five centers namely Nepalgunj, Teku, Pokhara, Dharan and Teaching hospital.

Only 105 PLWHA (People Living with HIV/AIDS) are taking ARVT out of 150 quotas from various centers.

However, it is estimated that around 300 are benefiting from the programme.

The government has agreed to provide ARV treatment to 1000 patients this year.

According to the National AIDS Policy estimation, a total of 1, 20,000 to 1,80,000 people would be affected by HIV/AIDS by the end of 2005 in Nepal. It is estimated that around 70 per cent of Injecting Drug Users are infected with HIV/AIDS.

DFID and global fund is providing financial support to 36 groups dedicated to protect HIV/AIDS infected persons.

UN Management Support Agency is providing funds for HIV/AIDS programmes to various governmental and non-governmental organisations with DFID’s Rs 35 million and Rs 15 million of the Global Fund this year.

Ujjawal Baral, representative of the National Network of People Living With HIV/AIDS, said AIDS patients will not be able to get respect in the society until they are united.

Bishnu Sharma, representative of Recovering Nepal, said that there was a need of a guideline for harm reduction programmes, which should address the Nepal’s problem.