PATNA: The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and Bihar State AIDS Control Society drew ire of the Patna high court on Thursday after it came to know about that a government anti-retroviral therapy (ART) centre in Madhubani was running without any qualified doctor and several other facilities since last two years.The matter was brought to light by an AIDS patient from Madhubani who filed a writ petition in form of public interest litigation seeking high court’s help so that concerned authorities be issued direction for making the ART centre fully functional to benefits of several others like him.The petitioner was represented by counsels Shashwat and Amrit Kumar. AIDS or HIV-positive patients depend on the ART centre for free of cost treatment.The matter turned-up for hearing before a division bench of Justice Jyoti Saran and Justice Arvind Srivastava who rapped both the societies while making an observation that due to irregular supply of medicines, the situation at the centre is worse. The court directed both societies to file counter-affidavits before March 26 appraising court what all actions are being taken to improve the situation.Counsels of the petitioner appraised the high court during the course of hearing that the not a single qualified doctor and nurse were appointed at the centre so that patients are looked after properly resulting increasing fear of the spread of disease from mother to unborn child in case of absence of proper treatment.In addition, anti-retroviral (ARV) and opportunistic infection (OI) medicines are distributed without prescription for the last two years. Also, there is a constant shortage or erratic supply of such medicines too which makes infected patients run from pillar to posts.The petitioner had also alleged that not only the ARV and opportunistic infection (OI) medicines but paediatric ARV drugs meant for infected infants are also not available at the centre for the last several months.The petitioner appraised the court that the T-lymphocyte CD4 machine installed at the centre was also non-functional since last two months which is crucial equipment used for measuring immunity level in an infected patient’s body and thus decide doses of prescribed medicines.The court was also appraised that the concerned authorities were given representation on multiple occasions by petitioner but all those went unheard and but no concrete action was taken till now.

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