ALIA ABREU
PANAJI
In what will go a long way towards helping change mindsets and attitudes towards HIV patients in the state, the Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) on Monday recommended that the government set up a full-fledged laboratory for viral load testing for virological studies in HIV and other viruses. The Commission has also asked the state government, through the Chief Secretary, to work out modalities to make available all essential facilities to patients suffering from HIV and AIDS.
Member of GHRC, A D Salkar, in an inquiry report dated June 10 has noted that there are no full-fledged facilities in Goa to provide treatment to individuals suffering from HIV and AIDS and that samples are referred to the JJ Hospital, Mumbai for viral-load testing.
Salkar has also noted that a facility of this kind is “essential in any civilised society,” and that Goa should provide the facility to all individuals in need.
It was Peter Borges, actively working with HIV and AIDS patients, and convenor of the Goa State NGO forum on HIV/AIDS, along with numerous other organizations working with HIV/AIDS patients, who had first filed a complaint stating that the state lacks these facilities. This was around two and a half years ago, in January 2017.
On Monday, Borges told The Goan that he welcomed the GHRC’s recommendation.
Borges had in his complaint, argued that those who needed the Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) (those living with HIV) required two rounds of tests to confirm which line of ART to be put on.
Through continued correspondence with the GHRC over two years, Borges also said that the current treatment strategy, executed through Goa Medical College and Link ART centres at Mapusa, Margao, Chicalim and Ponda are ineffective and not coordinated in a professional manner.
“There is a failure in retainment of patient on ART, leading to lost cases, loss/death of patients in follow up, patients reporting to Goa Medical College with an advanced staged of treatment failure, with very less CD4 counts,” he explained.
During this, it is required that results of any viral load testing investigation are available within 2-3 days to the patient. This is why Borges had asked for viral load testing to be conducted within the state itself.
