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HIV – AIDS Bel-Air today is home to a large number of HIV (Human Immuno Virus) and AIDs (Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome) patient. TB remains the major disease afflicting these patients. The story is the same for most of them. Ignorance and fear leads to isolation and neglect by the families. Nobody is anymore interested in their existence. Women and children are the ones who suffer most without being really responsible for their fate. Bel-Air continues to treat these patients with improved available medicines and latest diagnostic facilities. The medicines are fairly expensive and large funding is required to meet the regular needs of these patients. |
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| The HIV virus reduces the strength of the patient’s immune system and an HIV infected person’s chances of developing active TB, is higher than in other affected patients, while an AIDS patient is susceptible to Active TB over a hundred times more. The number of HIV / AIDS patients are expected to increase many times more than at present and so will the TB afflicted. The infrastructure of Bel-Air and the hundreds of HIV positive patients which Bel-Air is managing at any given time, the effectiveness of the care concept being evolved and the outreach program of taking the continuum of care to the villages etc. has already made a huge difference in the stigma and HIV/AIDS people are enjoying much greater human rights. The community care center has 20 beds supported by Karnataka Health Promotion Trust for admitting HIV/AIDS patients. But the need is much higher than the capacity of the institution. The infrastructure of Bel-Air and its staff, gives HIV patients necessary treatment for their secondary infections. A full gynecology and obstetrics department with surgical facilities is also available for HIV positive female patients. Counseling is provided to both the patients and their family members. |
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Bel-Air efforts to treat and reach out to a larger number of HIV/AIDS patients do not end at Bel-Air only. The dedication of Bel-Air’s committed workers took them beyond the boundaries of Bel-Air to distant villages such as Wai, Jaoli, Mahabaleshwar, Khandala, Palkar, Koregaon, and Karad the different Talukas of Satara District. Their findings have brought to light the very large number of HIV positive patients in these rural areas, who fearing social rejection, have preferred to live with the condition, embracing slow death rather than avail treatment.
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Psychological and mental support to the patients and their families. Patients and families are provided with psychological and mental support during their stay in Bel-Air. Bel-Air health workers go out in the community to sensitize communities. When a patient recovers from his HIV associated disease he is sent back in the community. Health workers disseminate information about HIV/AIDS prevention on community level, how to deal with the family member who is HIV infected and how the HIV patient shall deal with his disease. Family members of the patients are also trained to provide care at home to the infected members and to prevent further infection. Some of the patients are provided with ART treatment. |
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Training of trainers for nurses, doctors, and other care workers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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HIV-AIDS and Community Care Center | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||