Coronavirus outbreak: HIV warriors go the extra mile to deliver medicines

Heroes on road

A counsellor and a community support centre staffer have lunch on a field in Bagalkot during the supply of medicines.

Praveen Appasab Kamble, data manager at an Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) centre in Karwar, recently rode 110 km on his bike to door-deliver medicines to an HIV-positive patient.

He is among the hundreds of HIV warriors in these Covid-19 times.

In the absence of transportation during the lockdown, healthcare staff working with HIV patients across the state are going the extra mile, literally, to ensure that patients do not miss out on medication.

These include staff of ART centres, link ART centres and community support centres for HIV-positives.

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Undeterred by Covid-19 cases reported in the region, Kamble travelled to Shirali from Karwar to meet a patient. “We wear masks and helmets. We make sure it’s a quick visit,” he said.

Till date, his centre has completed 163 such deliveries.

There is also the added aspect of stigma with HIV. To keep it discrete from prying eyes, the staff have designed opaque packages. Further, in case a patient is hesitant to receive it at home, the staff will deliver the medicine to nearby locations: village well, temple, pan shop or any other landmark — not too far, yet discrete.

“Some patients even request to leave the medicines on a particular stone on the outskirts of the village. We comply, since patients’ confidentiality is of utmost importance,” said H R Mardi, senior counsellor of ART plus centre, Bagalkot. His team works from 7 am till 5 pm everyday, coordinating calls and deliveries. They have delivered to 700 patients till now.

There are 1.72 lakh patients undergoing ART across Karnataka.

Coordinating calls, addresses and preferred pick-up points is arduous. “With the lockdown, all eateries are closed. It’s the peak of summer and if one doesn’t take along sufficient water, there is nothing available on the way,” Revanasiddappa Hagargi, counsellor at Kalburgi ART centre, listed the troubles.

So, what motivates them to keep at the task? “We know these patients since the time of their diagnosis. We share an emotional bond. They are family to us,” he said.

Even with patients visiting primary health centres, link ARTs or ARTs to pick up medicines, the staff ensure it is handed over quickly, as their immunity is already low, said Dr Ravi Kumar B M, regional coordinator, Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS).

Also, during the lockdown, patients can collect medicines at any centre irrespective of where they are registered. “For instance, we recently delivered medicine to a patient from Tamil Nadu stuck in the city,” Kumar said.