NACO for law to bind docs treating AIDS

In a bid to regulate private practitioners from providing a second line of treatment to HIV-positive patients, the National AIDS Control Organisation NACO has proposed to put a law in place

In a bid to regulate private practitioners from providing a second line of treatment to HIV-positive patients, the National AIDS Control Organisation NACO has proposed to put a law in place, similar to one followed by South Africa. Under the law, private practitioners providing a second line of treatment to HIV-positive patients will have to get themselves registered with the government agency.

The second line of treatment is extremely expensive. Moreover, the government does not have drug resistance studies to find out whether this line of treatment actually works.

Thus opting for it, according to NACO, seems to be just a way of drawing money from the patients and should be restricted.

8220;All those giving second line of treatment will have to get themselves registered with us and follow certain guidelines. There will soon be a law to keep a check on all these clinics providing the treatment. The point is: why are they jumping to this second line therapy when there are no cases of drug resistance in India? There is a need to restrict it as we do not have a regulatory mechanism. With the new law in place we hope to achieve that,8221; said K Sujatha Rao, Additional Secretary and Director General DG, NACO.

NACO is getting a survey done in the country to get details as to how many private practitioners are following the 8220;uncommon8221; therapy and how. It intends to come up with a few guidelines.

8220;We have sent our professionals to see how South Africa uses the Act. They have enforced the law pretty well and we have to see how can we adjust their law in our existing system. We have to control the private sector from giving treatment as and when they like,8221; added Rao.

The cost involved in the second line of treatment is much higher. While the treatment for a HIV-positive patient would otherwise cost Rs 3,000 per month, the use of second line of treatment would mean Rs 10,000 per month.

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The government too is negotiating with various agencies to get drugs at cheaper rates.

More efforts needed on India8217;s part: WHO report<

NEW DELHI: With access to Antiretroviral Therapy ART for HIV infection in low and middle-income countries going up, a report, Towards Universal Access: Scaling up Priority HIV/AIDS Interventions in the Health Sector, by WHO, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS UNAIDS and UNICEF, says significant efforts are needed on India8217;s part to scale up its existing programmes.

8220;The private sector, which is a large provider of health services in India should be better integrated and monitoring mechanisms should be developed. The country8217;s generic drug manufacturing segment also faces challenge of compliance,8221; says the report. It also details a number of key areas in which efforts to scale up services are insufficient if the global goal for HIV by 2010 is to be achieved. The report shows that countries in every region of the world have made substantial progress in increasing access to HIV treatment. While the ART coverage in India was 3.0 per cent in 2003, it was found to be 15 per cent in 2006. However, the report says that Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Manipur seemed to be developing generalised epidemics.