As part of its fight against AIDS, the Union government is planning to increase the number of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) centres from the current 174 to at least 250 by 2011 and establish nearly 650 link ART centres to facilitate first line treatment in the country.

Based on the experience on the two pilot projects in Chennai and Mumbai, the Govt is also planning to roll out six more such centres of excellence for delivery of second line drugs during the current year itself. The two centres opened in January this year at GHTM, Chennai and JJ Hospital, Mumbai on a pilot basis has 137 patients enrolled. A provision has been made to provide drugs to 3000 patients this year, sources in the health ministry said.

As of now, a total of 500,000 patients has been registered in HIV care and 1,77,808 patients who are clinically eligible for ART are receiving free ARTs. The target is to provide free ART to 30 lakh adults and 40,000 paediatric patients by 2012 through 250 ART centres and 650 link ART centres

The centre is also striving to maintain a high level of drug adherence and minimise the number of patients lost to follow up, so that drugs are effective for longer period of time. It is planning to provide comprehensive care, support and treatment through establishment of 350 community care centres (CCC) by 2012. The capacity of laboratories will also be strengthened and training would be given further to the personnel involved in the programme.

The concept of the link ART centres was developed taking into consideration the large distances the HIV positive people had to cover to reach ART centres. The link ART centres are being developed to ensure that patients will get their drugs within their easy reach will have to travel to main ART centre once in six months only. A total of 300 link centres have been sanctioned so far.

NACO is strengthening the public private partnership by involving corporate sector, intersectoral partners and NGOs in ART roll out. Presently, six ART centres are running in collaboration with different NGOs/industries. Process has been initiated to set up 10 regional centres of excellence which will provide state-of-the-art services for patients, be our knowledge hubs, resource centres and centre for training of other doctors on HIV/AIDS, sources added.