The Chronic Clinician

COVID19 - All that we know till now

2020-03-26T16:43:00.000+05:30

The novel coronavirus is something that has become a topic of panic for the whole wide world. Being a professional from the medical background it's my moral duty to make people aware of the facts and make it simple for everyone to understand this invisible monstrosity.
In this article, I have tried to jot down everything that I could understand about this pandemic.

HIV Post Exposure Prophylaxis

2020-02-21T23:04:00.000+05:30

After interacting with a huge number of patients and solving their sex-related queries I discovered an enormous level of lack of knowledge in the field of sexual diseases and the mode of their spread. This gigantic pool of ignorance exists due to social stigma regarding sex in our society and country.

This leads to further spread of disease conditions and with a lack of proper knowledge of treatment people tend to land up in a place where it becomes difficult to treat them or go back to a point where the permanent cure was possible.

ART HIV center India

2020-02-16T12:09:00.000+05:30

ART - Antiretroviral therapy center is a project run under NACO (National AIDS control organization) by the government of India.
The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), established in 1992 is a division of India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that provides leadership to HIV/AIDS control program in India through 35 HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Societies, and is "the nodal organization for formulation of policy and implementation of programs for prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in India.".

History

India’s AIDS Control Programme is globally acclaimed as a success story. The National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), launched in 1992, is being implemented as a comprehensive program for the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in India. Over time, the focus has shifted from raising awareness to behavior change, from a national response to a more decentralized response and to the increasing involvement of NGOs and networks of PLHIV.

In 1992, the Government launched the first National AIDS Control Programme (NACPI) with an IDA Credit of USD84 million and demonstrated its commitment to combat the disease. NACP I was implemented with the objective of slowing down the spread of HIV infections so as to reduce morbidity, mortality, and impact of AIDS in the country. National AIDS Control Board (NACB) was constituted and an autonomous National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) was set up to implement the project. The first phase focused on awareness generation, setting up a surveillance system for monitoring the HIV epidemic, measures to ensure access to safe blood and preventive services for high-risk group populations.

What are the ART centers?

Antiretroviral Therapy centers are established in government hospitals run under NACO. In ART centers government-appointed doctors to provide consultation and treatment to HIV +ve patients. With state of the art facilities and government-aided funding, all kind of latest tests is possible here to detect HIV and stage at which the patient is present.

ART centers are distributed at different levels of the district, state and capital levels as ART dispersion center, medical center and center of excellence. Each ART consists of 3-5 doctors, Councilors, Technicians, Pharmacists, and Nurses. Also, volunteers from different NGOs work here providing assistance to HIV positive patients.

Proceedings at an ART center

Step 1 - A blood test is done for confirmation of HIV.

Step 2 - Once confirmed a new file is created for the individual and is sent to a counselor for counseling regarding his condition and how to take medicine. It is of the utmost importance that medicines should be taken every day without fail for the treatment to be a success otherwise next line of treatment has to be initiated in defaulters and there are only 3 lines of treatment available.

Step 3 - From there the individual will go to the doctor who will prescribe a series of blood tests for the 1st time and according to the reports the doctor will initiate treatment for 15 days. At the end of 15 days according to the patient's tolerance for the medicine, treatment is continued further and a follow-up is done every 2 months.

Step 4 - The patient is then sent to the pharmacy and is provided with free medicine for the same.

Parallel conditions

Since an ART center is always associated with the government hospital the patient is thus also treated for any other disease condition associated with HIV complications like candidiasis, encephalitis, tuberculosis, and others.

ART center also provides blood units when required for free to HIV registered patients.

List of ART Centers in India

Art centers in India have been listed by the National AIDS Control Organization

To see the complete list please click Here

HOTLINE & Helpline

National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) successfully runs a National Helpline number since 1st December 2014. This helpline helps people in need of information regarding HIV/AIDS and keeps their information confidential. In India, this facility can be availed by dialing a short code toll-free number 1097 from any mobile/landline number.

Image source/Reference -

1. https://ksaps.gov.in/services_art.html

2. http://naco.gov.in/living-hivaids

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Blog by -

Dr. Sarthak Chakravarty

Dr. Sarthak Chakravarty
MBBS, DEM, CTBM

DGS approved doctor by Govt. of India
Consultant at 1mg Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Ex. Apollo Hospital, Sarita Vihar, Delhi
Ex. MO at ART Center B.H.U (NACO)

Ask you questions - info@drsarthak.in
Appointment - Call - +91-7303129283
or Book online

Constipation - what you must know

2020-02-09T21:43:00.003+05:30

Constipation is standing out as a very common problem nowadays. Which was earlier believed to be an ailment of toddlers and elderly now even has got its hold over the young adult.

Constipation in itself is not a serious condition at all but the consequences can be painful. Research has shown that unhealthy bowel habits lead to an unhealthy mind. Along with our food habits, there are a few more things we should change to avoid constipation or bowel-related problems.

Vitamin D deficiency

2020-01-27T15:43:00.000+05:30

Thanks to modern-day achievements in medical technology it has become quite easy to detect any kind of health condition.
One condition is a deficiency of vitamins and minerals.

Today I'll be addressing vitamin D deficiency. It usually goes undetected being the most underestimated reason for a lot of things.

10 tips for a healthy sleep

2020-01-25T09:47:00.000+05:30

Many of us face difficulty in falling asleep. In today's world insomnia and sleep deprivation are very common problems for many. We are so much burdened with work and social pressure that it builds up into stress affecting our good night's sleep.
If you suffer from conditions like insomnia, narcolepsy, teeth grinding, sleep apnoea, etc. you should definitely see a doctor.
For a good sleeping habit, there are few simple tips one can follow

Kickstart

2020-01-22T16:53:00.000+05:30

After a short-long break i decided to resurrect my blog again.

Indigestion and Gas – What to do besides medicine

2017-07-19T10:17:00.001+05:30

With all the various kinds of cuisine available in the market it is unimaginable that one will not suffer indigestion or gastritis. I often find my patients asking what all to avoid in order to keep a check on their gaseous condition.

Tackle Dengue

2015-09-26T01:53:00.003+05:30

It has become a common menace today. But there is no need to be alarmed as it could be very easily handled just like any other viral disease.

Step to follow

1. This virus causes a lot of dehydration by oozing of plasma out of our blood vessels and therefore first and foremost thing to do is to drink lots and lots of fluid.
Not only water but liquids with salts in them. Go for juices, ORS, health drinks etc.

Dengue - The urban Menace

2015-09-26T01:37:00.000+05:30

It is a painful mosquito borne disease troubling the tropical societies to its fullest. Transmitted by the Ades Agypti group of mosquito. In the beginning it manifests as any common viral infection.

Symptoms of Dengue fever

Symptoms begin to appear usually after 4 to 6 days of contracting the virus. These may include

Sudden, high fever

Severe headaches

Pain behind the eyes

Severe joint and muscle pain

Fatigue

Nausea

Vomiting

Skin rash

Sore throat

Honey - A hidden treasure

2015-09-13T00:27:00.000+05:30

Mother Nature’s one of the finest gifts to humans is honey. Honey carries the very essence of nature’s importance in our life. Flowers produce nectar that is delicately harvested by magnificently colonized bees into their hives.

Surely it’s the one of the tastiest delicacies that nature has to offer but there’s more than that meets the eyes. Honey is beneficial to humans in in numerous ways, apparent and non-apparent.

Eat Healthy, Eat Right - Part 3 Think Healthy

2015-09-10T04:22:00.001+05:30

Once you know what to eat and what not to then its time for

Step 3: Healthy Attitude

1. Food is your friend not your enemy - There is no need to just stuff it unnecessarily. It is to give you energy. Understand your needs. Don't do stress eating or overeating. You must channelize your energy in other directions. This will keep your mind off the food.

Eat Healthy, Eat Right - Part 2 Saying No

2015-09-10T02:14:00.002+05:30

Step 2 : Differentiating the right from wrong

This part is all about saying YES to what is right and saying NO to what is wrong for your body. Just a little bit of self control and you can say good bye to years of fat. Adopting a healthy food style will give you a new freshness and energy in your everyday life.

Eat Healthy, Eat Right - Part 1 Choosing

2015-09-10T01:17:00.001+05:30

Having healthy food is the stepping stone towards a Healthy life. It is actually not as hard as it seems. All you need is a little bit of will power. You probably have someone or the other telling you the numerous benefits of eating healthy or giving up on junk food, but here i'll show you how to do so.

You are almost at the finish line once you make up your mind. Then all you need to do is follow 3 easy steps that I am going to show you here.

Step 1 : Choosing the right food

1. Eat the right Carbohydrates - We Indians are used to eating a lot of simple sugar, flour and potatoes. These break easily and a produce a surge of sugar level in your blood which in turn causes a massive insulin release making it more exhausting for your body. Eat in moderation instead. Aim for brown bread instead of white bread. Ask for whole wheat pasta instead of normal pasta. Take in whole grain flour, oats, multi-grain breads. Eat green leafy vegetables. Making a simple sauté by including olive oil, garlic etc. is equally fulfilling.

Know Diabetes

2015-01-28T23:56:00.000+05:30

What you need to know about Diabetes?

Diabetes also known as Diabetes Mellitus (DM). There are two types TYPE 1 and TYPE 2. TYPE 1 is an autoimmune destruction of beta cells of pancreas and therefore decreased production of insulin. TYPE 2 is resistance against insulin and increased production of glucagon.

Well you need not go into deep medical knowledge but you should know the following.

How can you say if a person is having diabetes?

well if you suspect a person of diabetes then you must look for the following signs