Preventive measures: Doctors take HIV/AIDS medicines

HYDERABAD: Far from breaking thesilence to talk about the dreaded AIDS, medical practitioners today are shyingaway from disclosing that they are taking treatment for prevention of HIV/AIDSduring surgeries.The treatment, called post prophylaxis, is takenafter an injury during an emergency surgery. Though some doctors are unaware ofthe post prophylaxis treatment for prevention of HIV/AIDS, many are into it as aprecautionary measure.In it, a combination of anti-retro viral drugsLamivudine and Zudovudine is taken twice a day. "That would be 60 tablets for amonth as part of the post prophylaxis treatment for prevention of HIV," said DrM V Ramana Rao, joint director, Blood Safety, at the AP State AIDS ControlSociety."The drugs are distributed to the superintendent ofgovernment hospitals for the staff through the district leprosy officer," hesaid. Medical staff, students and doctors at government hospitals take thetreatment after a cut or a needle injury during surgery. "But not all members ofthe medical staff give their names on record, though they consume the drugs,"Rao said, adding "so the exact number of doctors or medical staff consuming thedrugs cannot be tracked.""A needle prick or a cut during surgery canlead to the mixing of fresh blood from the patient to the doctor and that canlead to AIDS or hepatitis. Such surgeons have taken prophylaxis treatment," saidIndian Dental Association president, Dr Nageswara Rao. "In anysurgery for accident cases, be it heart, spinal or ortho, all efforts will bemade to save the life of the patient and the risks involved for the doctor maybe sidelined," said Dr Mahesh Joshi, head of the emergency department at ApolloHospital. "Majority of the corporate hospitals have theequipment to treat thepatient, but for the doctors at government hospitalsthe risks would be more interms of contracting a disease."