The HIV positive patients in Jagatsinghpur would henceforth not pay for Cluster of Differentiation (CD4) test at Jagatsinghpur hospital and Government hospital at Paradip, a practice that was prevalent till today.
A directive in this regard has been sent to the Chief District Medical Officer here by the Health Department following intervention of the National Human Rights Violation (NHRC) after allegations about collection of fee for CD4 tests came to fore. As on today, despite provision of free tests for the HIV-afflicted in hospitals, people here are made to pay user fees.
The circular of the Health Ministry had apparently not reached the district headquarters hospital here. The hospital had no CD4 test kits available and hundreds of poverty-stricken HIV-positive patients were forced to go to SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, for this vital test by spending large amount towards transport expenses. CD4 test is mandatory for HIV patients before taking drugs.
There are two Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres (ICTCs) in Jagatsinghpur district, one at district headquarters hospital and another at the government hospital, Paradip.
The district has no an anti retro-viral therapy (ART) centre. So patients depend on SCB Medical while ICTCS, Jagatsinghpur is a link ART centre. The first test of CD4 is conducted at ART centre in Cuttack free of cost. Other baseline investigations or pathological tests should also be conducted free at the hospital but health officials allegedly charge the patients, most of them poor, thus violating the State Government and National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) directive.
As per the circular of the Health Department, all baseline investigations of those people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) before the initiation of ART should be done free in all centres.
As PLHAs are paying the user fees for different investigations, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of Health Department had instructed all to issue a circular to take up all baseline investigations of PLHAs free of cost. Interestingly, this circular was not issued to the district hospital.
Medical officer of ICTCs, Jagatsinghpur Sudhakar Biswal said they are collecting user fees for pathological test and other investigations from HIV patients because no such circular had reached them.
A report on the irregularity was published in these columns last year following which, NHRC intervened and directed the Project Director of Odisha State AIDS Control Society (OSACS) to conduct an inquiry.
As per the direction, a team of OSACS officers visited the Jagatsinghpur hospital, Government Hospital at Paradip and ICTCs and found the allegations about collection of fee true. The team submitted a report to the Project Director of OSACS and Health Department who then issued the circular about free tests to CDMO recently.
out of reach
■ Despite provision of free tests for the HIV-afflicted in hospitals, people are made to pay user fees
■ The circular of the Health Ministry apparently did not reach the district headquarters hospital
■ The hospital had no CD4 test kits