Himachal steps up approach to tackle HIV, TB patients

Looking at the high incidence of tuberculosis among HIV-positive patients, the state is upgrading its infrastructure to handle dual cases of TB and HIV-AIDS.

Looking at the high incidence of tuberculosis among HIV-positive patients, the state is upgrading its infrastructure to handle dual cases of TB and HIV-AIDS. With this will come up the state8217;s first ever multi-drug resistant laboratory MDRL at Dharampur in Solan district, which would handle severe cases of tuberculosis that so far had to be referred to Delhi due to lack of testing facilities within the state for such patients who stopped responding to the treatment. The laboratory is in the pipeline since 2006.

Experts say severe cases of TB are also seen in many patients who are HIV positive and in such cases the mode of treatment has to be more intense than the regular direct observation treatment scheme DOTS, in which the new laboratory would be helpful.

An integrated counselling and testing centre ICTC would come up alongside MDRL so that HIV-AIDS patients can get testing, treatment and counselling for tuberculosis under the

same roof.

The state8217;s proposal has been confirmed as accepted by the Director General for tuberculosis programme in the Central Health Ministry and the laboratory would start functioning at the State Training and Demonstration Centre-cum-Sanitarium at Dharampur by January, while the partial facilities would be available to patients later this month.

A similar facility would be set up at Dr Rajender Prasad Medical College in Tanda, said Director, Health Services, Dr Sulakshna Puri.

8220;The existing sanitarium at Dharampur would be upgraded as per the needs of the patients under dual attack of TB and HIV. Earlier, test reports for such patients had to be sent outside the state to Delhi and Ahmedabad and reports took over three months to be processed,8221; said Puri.

Research has shown that the 60 per cent of the patients infected with HIV are also susceptible to tuberculosis. The arrangement for cross-referral centres was the need of the hour as timely detection of TB in HIV and AIDS patients improves quality of their life and gives them comparative longevity, said Dr Puri.