“The taskforce will pressure the government to provide not only the medicine but also nutrition to the HIV affected people,” Kunwar said.[break]
The taskforce will work jointly with the civil society, journalists and the non-governmental organizations working in the field of HIV in the district.
“The taskforce will hold discussion with the authorities concerned to provide necessary nutrition to the people living with HIV/AIDS as medicines alone are not sufficient for the affrected to live longer,” said Takkar Kadayet, Chairman of Gangotri Gramin Bikas Manch, an NGO working in the field. “We will also ask the government to increase benefits for HIV-infected people”. Stating that the HIV patients are taking the medicine in empty stomach, he said the Taskforce´s first task would be to ensure nutrition for the patients.
Targeting Nepali migrant workers visiting India, a programme called Emphasis Scheme supported by CARE Nepal has been implemented in the district. “The programme has been helping the affected people in their daily lives with support from CARE Nepal, CARE India and CARE Bangladesh,” said Prakash Pandeya, the team leader of the project. “We will join hands with the taskforce to help the HIV infected people.”
Tanki Bhusal, a HIV infected woman from Chandika VDC in the district, expressed hope that the taskforce would help solve the problems of the people like her. There are 1,263 identified HIV infected people in the district. Out of the total infected people, 775 are women, 487 are men and 78 are children, according to the District AIDS Coordination Committee.
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