Neelu Vyas, New Delhi: The deadly AIDS virus is spreading at an alarming rate in the country. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, the Indian Government spends Rs 8,000 on each HIV positive patient in the country under the Anti Retro Viral (ARV) drugs programme available to these patients in most government hospitals.

However, out of the 59,000 patients being treated under the ARV programme, most are at a critical stage and require advanced level of treatment to be able to survive.

HIV patient Samar Dey from Jharkhand being treated under the anti retro viral programme in a government hospital for the past two-and-half years has become resistant to the medicines provided under ARV.

Doctors say he needs second line treatment to survive, but the required drugs are not available in any of the government hospitals in the country. "According to the doctors I must go on to the second line of treatment. But it is not available in any of the Government hospitals," says the AIDS patient.

According to WHO guidelines, HIV drugs must be substituted every 2-5 years for a successful anti retro viral program.

However, the substitute medicines available in the market are beyond reach of over 5,000 patients in urgent need of them. "On a conservative estimate at least 70 per cent of the HIV positive people in the country need second line of treatment. But they are not getting it due to lack of resources in the government hospitals in the country," says NGO Network of Positive People spokesperson, Loon Gangte. "For second line of drugs, the complexity is that it has huge financial implications. It costs almost Rs 1lakh per year per patient," Director General of National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) Sujatha K Rao says.

According to National AIDS Control Organisation, AIIMS will reach out to over 1 lakh HIV positive people by its ARV program. However for the thousands of patients urgently needing the second line of treatment it might be too late.

Though there are NGOs helping out people, the numbers are too large to be handled. Perhaps Government will have to look for a strong alternative to ensure the survival of these patients.