HIV Positive Patients In Haryana To Get Free Health Facilities Like Lab And Radiological Tests

The Haryana government has decided to provide free health facilities like laboratory and radiological tests to HIV positive patients in the state under a public-private partnership mode.

The HIV positive patients have been included in those seven categories of the state which are currently being provided various health facilities free of cost under PPP mode, an official statement said here on Monday.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has approved a proposal to this effect, it said."Thus, all the laboratory and radiological tests, including USG (ultrasound), CT Scan and MRI, which are provided in government hospitals under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode will be available free of cost to HIV patients," it said.

It further said that in Haryana, these seven categories include below poverty line (BPL) and urban slum patients of Haryana; patients receiving handicap allowance from the state government, patients belonging to the Scheduled Caste category, patients belonging to the economically weaker section, unattended victims of roadside accidents; and state government employees and pensioners are being provided these services under the PPP mode free of cost at various health facilities as per the existing policy.

Now, HIV positive patients have also been included in it.At present, around 22,000 patients suffering from HIV are on antiretroviral therapy (ART).

According to ART Centre, PGIMS hospital in Rohtak, the requirement of radiological investigations for HIV patients is approximately only about 2 to 3 per cent of the total number of such patients.

Thus, about 700 to 800 HIV patients in the state will require radiological investigations during their management on a yearly basis.

"Moreover, on the basis of the present prevailing rates of various radiological investigations in the centres being run under PPP mode at various public health facilities in the state, the estimate of the expenditure will be about Rs 70 lakh per patient per annum," it said.

The statement further said the approximate budget of such investigations being already provided to the seven categories free of cost under the PPP mode by the state government is Rs 45 crore.