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| ART CENTRE |
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Medical advances have made effective treatment available to people living with HIV/AIDS and can sustain their lives by delaying disease progression. However, the virus mutates quickly and over time, patients may need to adjust their treatment, escalating to more complex and expensive regimens. To prolong the amount of time patients can stay on the first line regimens, patients and their care givers must maintain strict adherence to their medication schedules. Ongoing laboratory and clinical monitoring also assist in early detection of signs of resistance and can prevent potentially fatal infections.
By the end of 2011, treatment services sufficient for 300,000 of the approximately 470,000 AIDS cases should be available in India. Treatment includes both the availability of effective treatment regimens as well as the laboratory tests needed to monitor how patients are responding to therapy At the beginning of NACP3 there were 54 ART centers. NACP-III estimates that in order to meet the targets set, 250 ART centres across the country will have to be set up. These facilities will include both government medical centers such as medical colleges and district hospitals, as well as contracts to private providers to provide this service through public-private partnership.
Treatment for pediatric AIDS patients also requires substantial scale up. Approximately, 1300 children were on ART in 2006. This number is expected to expand to 40,000 by the end of 2011, which is ~90% of the anticipated number of pediatric AIDS cases. These numbers assume the scale up of PPTCT services thus preventing the occurrence of pediatric cases to begin with.
Improved access to prophylaxis and management of opportunistic infections and continuum of care will be an important activity. Approximately, 3.8 lakhs people are estimated to have AIDS and require care and support services. Early recognition of the HIV status, with access to chemo-prophylaxis, prompt diagnosis and treatment of OIs will ensure that morbidity and mortality of those infected is reduced and quality of life improved. Effective OI management will also help to delay the progression of the disease and requirement for ART by those infected. |
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| In Pondicherry, Anti retroviral therapy is provided in the ART Centre, Government Hospital , Puducherry. |
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| Contact Phone number |
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| 0413-2224579 |
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