HIV patients in Haryana will now be able to get free healthcare facilities like radiological tests under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.

The Patients of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), have been added to the seven categories that are being provided various health facilities free of cost under PPP mode, an official spokesperson of the state Health Department said on Monday.

All the laboratory and radiological tests, including USG, CT Scan and MRI, which are provided in government Hospitals under the PPP mode will be available free of cost to HIV patients, he said.

Listing the categories, the spokesperson said in Haryana, these seven categories include BPL (below poverty line), urban slum patients of Haryana, patients receiving handicap allowance from the state government, poor patient who do not belong to any free category, patients belonging to the scheduled caste category, patients belonging to economically weaker section, unattended victim of roadside accident, and state government employees, pensioners, and dependents are being provided services under PPP mode free of cost at various health facilities as per the reservation policy. He stated that HIV patients have been included in it as the eighth category.

At present, around 22,000 patients suffering from HIV are taking antiretroviral therapy (ART). In addition, there is also an increase of approximately 300 patients per month. As per the information received from ART Centre, PGIMS, Rohtak, the requirement of radiological investigations for HIV patients is approximately only about two to three  per cent of the total number of such patients.

Thus, about 700 to 800 HIV patients in the state would require radiological investigations during their management on yearly basis. On the basis of the present prevailing rates of various radiological investigations in the centers being run under PPP mode at various public health facilities in the State the estimate of the expenditure will be about Rs 70 lakh per patient per annum.

The spokesperson said the approximate budget of such investigations being provided to the seven categories free of cost under PPP mode by the state government is Rs 45 Crore. The expenditure of Rs 70 lakh per annum per patient to be spent on HIV patients may be met from the existing funds, the spokesperson said.