People with HIV get free bus passes

Free bus passes to persons living with HIV were handed over to beneficiaries in Madurai and Dindigul districts by the respective Collectors. People living with HIV, who are receiving free anti-retroviral therapy (ART), had good reason to celebrate Pongal as they received the passes which would enable them to travel to the ART centres free of cost, officials said.

While distributing the passes, Madurai Collector C. Kamaraj said that helping people living with HIV to access various government schemes was a priority. “As part of the antyodaya anna yojana scheme, over 169 families living with HIV are being provided 35 kgs of rice and a total of 77 young widows living with HIV have been provided with widow pension. Resource mobilisation is also being done for 250 children living with HIV in Madurai and as on December 2010, a total of 3,800 people are receiving free ART.

Dindigul

Collector M. Vallalar said that a total of 1,711 persons living with HIV in the district would shortly get the passes. He was handing over passes to a group of persons in the first phase at a function organised by the Department of Health Services and Tamil Nadu Aids Control Society held at Anti-Retroviral Therapy Centre (ART). Joint Director Health Services T. Jayabal said ART medicines were distributed to persons with HIV at PHCs at Vadamadurai and Ammayanaickanur and taluk hospitals at Palani, Batlagundu and Vedasandur.