Wanted doctors to man ART Centre in Balangir

May 18, 2011 4:08:44 AM

Sudhir Mishra | Balangir

Even as combating of HIV/AIDS comes under the Millennium

Development Goal and India is a signatory to provide basic and

adequate health care to the HIV positives, yet the vacant posts of

medical officer for months in Balangir ART (Anti Retroviral

Therapy) Centre sans the State Government’s initiatives in filling

them up makes a mockery of the very purpose of the centre.

The ART Centre was opened just before the arrival of Red Ribbon

Express to Balangir for the second time in May 2010. Once the

centre was opened, it was hoped that it would provide effective

care treatment to the patients but ironically since day one it has

been marred by the vacancy of doctors. ART treatment is one of

the most crucial parts in tackling the HIV/AIDS.

Sources said ever since the commencement of the Integrated

Counseling and Testing Centre facility since November 2002, a

total of 420 people have been detected as HIV positives and as

many as 62 people have died of AIDS. The major reasons for

rising number of HIV positives in the district are large scale

migrations of labourers, ignorance, poverty, unsafe sexual

behavior and unsafe blood transfusion besides the use of

intravenous drug.

Out of the 420 HIV positives, as many as 70 are under ART

treatment which is given to a person whose CD4 count is less

than 250, said CDMO Dr PC Sahu. After the Link Worker Scheme

of Action Aid, awareness among people about causes of HIV/AIDS

has increased. A large number of people have been motivated to

check their HIV status and people were also encouraged to go for

safe blood through community Red Ribbon club, Sahu informed.

Availability of medicines is not a constraint but vacancies of

doctors, admitted Sahu who added that the doctor posts were

vacant after the contract of the tenure of earlier doctors expired.

“We have given advertisement for recruitment of senior medical

officers and we expect to complete the process by end of May,”

explained Sahu.

Earlier, patients used to visit to VSS Medical College and Hospital

at Burla for treatment. Now with the opening of the centre at

Balangir, they are advised to take treatment at here. Besides

Balangir district, patients of adjacent districts are also referred,

sources added.

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