DADELDHURA, Aug 13: For most of the Far-Western region population, especially that belonging to the hill districts, India has been as a source of income to meet annual expenditures of their family. Many of them have spent their whole life in India and brought prosperity to their family, many of them have educated their children and paved way for them to be employed in the country itself, but some of them have destroyed their families by bringing sexually transmitted diseases like HIV home.With their husband passing away and living them to their fate that consist of leading a life infected with the disease, ridden with poverty and scorned by the members of the society, these single women struggle everyday to sustain. Parshuram municipality is a scenic place with beautiful and fertile terraces. But the same place is barren for some single HIV infected single women. Acute poverty has deprived most of them from medical checkups and treatment.
Sanimaya (name changed) of Jogbuda village of Parshuram Municipality-1 is one of these victims. For receiving treatment she has to either go to Dhangadi, Kailali or to the district headquarters. Either way journey along with the Anti-retroviral drugs (ARV) cost her around Rs. 4,000. This is way beyond her finances.
"I have to reach district headquarters of Kailali in Dhangadi or Dadeldhura for medical checkup and to get my medicines. The cost adds up around Rs. 4000 and it's nearly impossible for me to afford," Sanimaya said.
She had transmitted the virus from her husband who like other males in the district frequented India for earning a living for the family. He was unaware of being infected with the disease and when learned about it, it was too late. Sanimaya was infected. Four years ago, he passed away leaving an HIV infected Sanimaya to herself.
Some years back it was not hard for HIV infected people like Sanimaya to receive treatment as many non-profit organizations were actively supporting their treatment. But those organizations have gradually vanished from the scene, leaving women like Sanimaya to their fate.
It is mandatory for HIV infected patients to do a CD-4 count every six months. The test is necessary for determining their health condition and medicine doses. Due to lack of medicines and proper equipments, the sub-area hospital was not able to conduct these tests only until recently. The facility to have the test conducted at the sub-area hospital has nonetheless brought some respite to them.
The only sustainable source of income for single women like Sanimaya is the state allowance of Rs 500 per month. This allowance, that is distributed in every four months, has been used by most of them for their treatment. But that's not an option for most of them as they have to prioritize family needs over their medical needs. They save this allowance for buying food and essential house-hold commodities. "The allowance of Rs 500 per month is not even sufficient for buying food. If we end up buying medicine with it, we won't have any finances to meet our basic needs," Kamala (name changed), another HIV infected single woman from the village said.
Conditions would be a bit easier for them if they were spared the costly travel by availing the medicines locally. "If we would get medicines in nearby health-posts, it would not have been a big problem. But, due to the extra transportation cost, we have to compromise with our health," said another HIV infected woman Fulmati (name changed).
Durgamani Chatout, project coordinator of Multi-purpose Development Society, a non-profit that works in the sector, said "Economic inability of the HIV infected people has been seriously hampering their treatment. Lack of access to income sources to earn a living for their family and medication coupled with unchanged social stigma has forced them to face unprecedented hardships," she said.
According to District Public Administration Office (DAO) there are 169 HIV infected people in the district which includes 81 females.
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