HIV patients to get free health facilities in Haryana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 4

The Haryana Government today decided to provide free health facilities like radiological tests to HIV patients in the state under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

With this, HIV patients have been included in seven categories of the state which are being provided various health facilities free of cost under PPP mode.

An official spokesperson of the Health Department informed that CM Manohar Lal Khattar approved a proposal to this effect.

All the laboratory and radiological tests, including CT scan and MRI which are provided in government hospitals under PPP mode will be available free of cost to HIV patients.

Listing the categories, the spokesperson said that in Haryana, these seven categories — BPL and urban slum patients of Haryana, recipients of handicap allowance, poor patients who do not belong to any free category, SC patients, patients belonging to economically weaker section, unattended victim of roadside accidents and state government employees, pensioners and dependents are being provided free services under PPP mode at various health facilities as per the reservation policy.

He said that HIV patients have been included in it as the eighth category.

He said that at present, 22,000 patients suffering from HIV are taking Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).

In addition, there is also an increase of approximately 300 patients per month. As per the information received from ART Centre, PGIMS, Rohtak, the requirement of radiological investigations for HIV patients is approximately only about 2 to 3 per cent of the total number of such patients. Thus, about 700 to 800 HIV patients in the state would require radiological investigations during their management on yearly basis.