Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

‘Build care and support system’

Volunteers of an NGO presenting a cultural performance at Kalabharathi on Wednesday in Visakhapatnam.

VISAKHAPATNAM: Young Lavanya (name changed) has been living with the deadly HIV virus, which she acquired from her husband, for the past couple of years. Her husband is dead but she has not lost hope.

She took to the podium with confidence and urged the authorities present there to build a care and support system for the infected in the city limits and asked them to pursue a long-term education programme for the affected children, as their infected parents die young.

She was speaking at a meet organised for the PLHAs (People Living with HIV/AIDS) by Green Vision, an NGO engaged in care and support system, in collaboration with its funding partner Catholic Relief Services (CRS) at Kalabharati on Wednesday.

Over 1,000 people comprising infected and affected, including children, attended the meet with their family members.

State representative of CRS David Solomon said over 18,000 people were availing the ART facility in the State.

He also noted that mere ART would not suffice the treatment plan. “Apart from creating a strong awareness on prevention, equal importance should be given to care and support which includes medication, nutritious diet and lifestyle management.

But, beyond all these aspects we have to primarily address the psychosocial concept.

This concept is high in the minds of the infected and unless the stigma is removed and they are accepted by the society things cannot improve,” he said.Additional District Medical Health Officer P. Rajendra Prasad informed there is an overall drop in the prevalence rate and the ante natal cases have dropped from 2.5 to 1.5 per cent in the State.

G. Prabhakar of Green Vision said the meet was arranged to generate advocacy and sensitise the infected and the affected about various government programmes.

Mayor P. Janardhana Rao, Visakha-I MLA Dronamraju Srinivasa Rao, ZP Chairman G. Rammurthy Naidu, CMO- GVMC J. Nageswara Rao, District Judge and Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority M.R. Saravana Kumar, president of the AP- Indian Medical Association L.V. Raghava Rao and programme officer of CRS Vijay Reddy also spoke.

The volunteers from various NGOs and a few affected children staged a cultural programme.

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