IMPHAL, Oct 8 NNN : Many civil society organisations and rights groups have strongly condemned the dead of one minor girl living with HIV due to “negligence” and “denial” of second line ART by health care providers and demanded immediate impartial inquiry regarding the controversial ART delivering system in the state of Manipur.
AMADA, CORE, HRLN, CADA, SASO, Kuki Women Union, AMBA, AMANA, Care Foundation etc, etc, have expressed concerned over the matter.
Wangkhem Dolly (15) d/o W. Sanamacha of Singjamei Mayeng Leikai, Imphal West district was died on October 2, the day she was admitted to the Regional Institute of Medical Science (RIMS). She was living with HIV through vertical transmission and was on ART since 2001.
Addressing media persons at Manipur Press Club here today, H. Nabakishore, the grandfather of the deceased informed that Dolly had started taking ART from 2001 with money from his own pocket and from 2004 she got accessed from ART centre, Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS). Her health had deteriorated in February, 2011 as her CD4 count had come down to 107 cells/cu.mm from 393 cells/cu.mm. Later, she was referred to State AIDS Clinical Expert Panel (SACEP) for second line treatment on February 29, 2011 but was compelled to continue the same drug while waiting for the SACEP meeting.
“ My grand daughter was struggling to get second line ART for the last 11 months from SACEP, Manipur but denied second line ART and died subsequently. She will die one day when her time comes but what hurts me most is the way she died, denying to access second line ART”, he lamented.
He further expressed dissapointment over the non-availability facility of Viral Load Testing in the state and added that people as a result are sending sample to Kolkata for examination which it take much time.
R.K. Nalinikanta, president of Committee Network for Empowerment (CoNE) said at present 87 people are getting accessed to first line ART and 88 people to second line ART. He also urged to the concerned authorities to avail the facility of Viral Load Testing in the state. There is no proper co-ordination mechanism amongst the ART centres at JNIMS, RIMS, MSACS and NACO and they all are trying to blame each other and ultimately PLHIV suffer the worst, he added.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/girl-dies-after-denial-of-art/
