The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : TANKER Foundation’s dialysis unit for HIV positive persons opened

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Sunday, Nov 29, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

TANKER Foundation’s dialysis unit for HIV positive persons opened

Special Correspondent

30 per cent of the patients can avail the service free of charge

— Photo: K. Pichumani

Caring gesture: Varun Krishna, grandson of Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi, seen near the dialysis unit for underprivileged HIV patients in Chennai on Saturday. Mr.Ravi is in the picture.

CHENNAI: A special dialysis unit for persons with HIV run by TANKER Foundation was inaugurated by Vayalar Ravi, Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs, in the city on Saturday.

Two haemodialysis machines have been procured and dialysis will be done at subsidised rates for people living with HIV and are unable to afford treatment. While 30 per cent of the patients will be helped at no charge, the others will be provided treatment at Rs.400 per session, Georgi Abraham, TANKER’s founder trustee said.

The function was held at Madras Medical Mission Hospital in Mogappair. The HIV Dialysis Unit will be located at 766, Poonamalle High Road, Kilpauk, according to Latha Kumaraswami, managing trustee, TANKER Foundation.

It is estimated that 17 per cent of persons infected with HIV have chronic kidney disease. The HIV infection itself is a cause for renal disease, Dr.Abraham said.

Even in cases where people can afford the treatment, many hospitals turn patients away because they are HIV positive. “All you have to do is to follow universally recommended hygiene and sanitation protocols in the normal course of treating patients,” he added.

Positive people have the right to care and treatment, too and to help these patients TANKER Foundation decided to set up a special unit for them.

Book release

Mr.Ravi said the new venture will help poor people, who have already been isolated because of stigma and discrimination. HIV positive people should feel wanted and TANKER’s new scheme would ensure that, he added. He later released a book on Nephrology authored by Dr.Abraham.

Suniti Solomon, Director, YRG Care, traced the long path the battle against HIV in the State took. She complimented TANKER for setting up the special unit which would be of immense help to poor patients. Dilip Mathai of Christian Medical College, Vellore, said a lot had to be done in terms of providing health care to positive people, even performing transplantation surgeries for them.

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