India is home to the second highest number of HIV-AIDS patients in the World. In the opinion of some experts, India, home to one sixth of the world’s population is sitting on a HIV-AIDS-Volcano. When it explodes, the results will be catastrophic.
Mumbai is one of the most populous cities in the world, it is the commercial capital of the country, and unfortunately it is the HIV-AIDS capital of the country as well!
The State of Tamil Nadu has the highest number of HIV-AIDS patients in India.
The District of Thirunelveli is one of the worst hit HIV-AIDS districts in Tamil Nadu.
Successive monsoon failures have driven the populace of the Thirunelveli and Thoothukudi Districts of which Peikulam is a part, to Mumbai in search of jobs for sheer survival, leaving their families behind.
In fact, Mumbai is reported to have a Tamil population of 1.5 million. Many of them are from the above Districts.
Many Mumbai-returnees have brought HIV-AIDS from the commercial sex-workers, into their hearths and homes— their wives.
St. Luke’s has made small beginning to meet this challenge.
1. It has started a Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centre (VCTC). These special VCTC clinics are held every Monday.
2. Hospitalization—It has opened the doors of its leprosy wards for the hospitalisation and treatment of the HIV-AIDS patients suffering secondary infections as well those who are terminally ill.
3. Health-Education – St. Lukes’s has a proven track record of enlightening health-education on leprosy. It now embraces health-education of the HIV-AIDS as well.
4. Home for Total Orphans—There are many total orphan children of AIDS-victims with no living relatives or living relatives who are willing to support them and no willing community to care for them.
St.Luke’s has two homes for the healthy children of leprosy subjects. It has begun to take into its fold the HIV-AIDS children too. They receive everything free of cost – food, clothes, shelter, education, medicare and after School-Final, job-oriented technical training and help with placement.