The stigma linked to HIV may have reduced but it is yet to vanish completely, Daxa Patel, secretary of Gujarat State Network of People Living with HIV AIDS (GSNP+), a non-profit headquartered in Surat, said on Tuesday. She was speaking at the launch of A New Dawn, a documentary on HIV by Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) faculty member Prof Rajesh Chandwani, chairperson, Centre for Management of Health Services (Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad), and his team. "The situation from the time when medicines were limited and costly to now might have been better but the invisible stigma persists in the society," said Daxa Patel, who was diagnosed with HIV in 1998. The documentary captures the lives and experiences of people living with HIV, their challenges, and aspirations that give them the strength to continue the fight every day. Prof Rajesh Chandwani, also the Dr Lal PathLabs Chair in Healthcare at IIMA, stated, “People do not accept but they discriminate.” The documentary on the empowerment of such patients is funded by Dr. Lal Pathlabs Chair in Healthcare in IIMA, set up through the efforts of the IIMA Endowment Fund. “The Chair in Healthcare was specifically set up last year as healthcare management and research gained impetus at IIMA post Covid. There has been a lot of focus on cutting-edge research and public policy in this sector by the Institute - however, this project is unique due to its focus on social impact and awareness for a disease which brings a lot of stigma,” Chhavi Moodgal, CEO, IIMA Endowment Fund, told The Indian Express. On the challenges, Daxa said, “When Individuals are diagnosed with HIV, the shock they go through is immense. Though the number of discussions has increased on HIV.. still today, the infected persons are accused of doing something wrong.”
