Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

Physician for covering PLHIV under Arogyasri

VISAKHAPATNAM: City-based physician ‘Padmashri' Kutikuppala Surya Rao on Monday said People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) should be covered under Arogyasri/medical insurance schemes.

Addressing a press conference here, Dr. Rao, who was awarded Ph.D. in philosophy by Andhra University for his thesis ‘Ethical challenges involved in the treatment and control of HIV/AIDS,' said the stigma against the patients should be removed by taking up a massive awareness programme.

In his finding based on interactions with several PLHIV, he stated that in most of the cases the patients were getting discrimination. “It's a violation of human rights to deny them to live with dignity and treatment and facilities entitled for patients suffering from other ailments,” he stated.

Retired professor S. Satyanarayana and professors P. George Victor, G. Veeraju and K.R. Rajani, all from Philosophy Department, were present. Dr. Rao said that according to a study, 64.8 per cent of PLHIV had failed to get treatment from the doctors when they approached them, 52 per cent of couples took divorce, 62 per cent ostracised by their families and co-residents in their villages and 78 per cent continued to live with their family without disclosing their status.

“Unless society is sensitised to treat PLHIV as fellow-human beings, violation of human rights will continue,” he said. He also said that the doctors should prescribe medicines and tests as per requirement of type of infection they were having.

Dr. Rao said one could get HIV infection due to drug addiction, homosexuality and other factors and emphasised the need to indulge in safe sex.

On the progress of research in treatment of HIV/AIDS, he said there were positive signs and within two to three years there would be availability of a vaccine and medicines to cure the problem.

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