‘Economic slump taking toll on HIV+ people in state’

financial loss merged with the social stigma attached to HIV/AIDS is forcing people to commit suicide.

Dr Rajesh Gopal,joint director (Blood Safety) of the Gujarat State Aids Control Society (GSACS),said: “The number of suicides by HIV positive people in recent months is quite unusual. The main reason (behind committing suicide) in each case may be different,but it seems the economic slump has added to the social stigma attached to the disease,that finally ends in suicide.”

Earlier this week,the Gujarat State Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GSNP+) and GSACS members held a meeting to understand and analyse the reasons behind the sudden increase in such cases.

Dr A M Kadri,joint director (Basic Services),GSACS,said: “This kind of clustering of cases was not witnessed in the state earlier. In most of these recent cases,the patients had been undergoing treatment at ART (anti-retroviral therapy) centres. It certainly looks as if the economic slump has added to their mounting stress.”

Kadri further said the GSACS is planning to strengthen its district-level support network,and identify psychologists and psychiatrists from government medical colleges who can help identify the patients with suicidal tendencies.

The most prominent among the recent suicide cases was reported in Vadodara two months ago,wherein an HIV positive family of four had taken the extreme step. It is believed that family head Deepak Panchal had suffered financial loss after he revealed his HIV positive status at his company. This led to the closure of the company. The mass suicide had come as a major shock to many,as the family had been actively working for people affected by HIV/AIDS. Pratik Rawal,GIPA (Greater Involvement of People with HIV/AIDS) coordinator with the GSACS,said that of the five cases reported in Junagadh,Vadodara,Surendranagar,Jamnagar and Bhavnagar,three had a direct connection to the economic meltdown.

“Like the Vadodara case,suicides committed by a couple in Junagadh as well as in Jamnagar were driven by financial losses,as the individuals had lost their jobs and had to take up the work of a driver and garage worker,” said Rawal.