At Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), we believe that understanding our patients goes far beyond their medical symptoms. That’s why we introduced the Social Vulnerability Assessment (SVA) in our Advanced HIV project in Patna, Bihar, in April 2023, a powerful tool that helps us see the whole picture of a patient’s life, challenges and … Read more
Bihar, India– Since 2019, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been actively working in Bihar to provide crucial support to individuals living with advanced HIV at Guru Gobind Singh Hospital in Patna. This vulnerable population confronts numerous critical challenges, including: Limited access to essential medications Parent-to-child transmission Difficulties in accessing tertiary healthcare Discrimination in healthcare settings … Read more
To fight the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) will soon launch its response to coronavirus in Patna, Bihar. The teams are working to set up a 100-bed COVID-19 treatment facility in the indoor stadium of Patliputra Sports Complex, Patna with the purpose of treating cases of COVID-19. The intervention aims to … Read more
Name : Designation : Interview conducted and written by Kavitha Devadas for MSF Kala azar is one of the most dangerous neglected tropical diseases in the world. It is spread to humans by bites from infected female sand flies and attacks the immune system. While cases of the disease are declining steadily, kala azar-HIV co-infection … Read more
Name : Designation : Interview conducted and written by Kavitha Devadas for MSF As well as suffering a lack of awareness and social stigma, kala azar-HIV co-infected patients are also prone to other infections, relapse more often and are at a greater risk of death. 39-year-old Zoya shares her story of recovery after being treated for … Read more
Kala azar Elimination is not possible without addressing the emerging issue of kala azar-HIV coinfection. As a disease that affects the most vulnerable and poorest in society, the deep-rooted stigma and the inadequate state of health facilities make this coinfection an urgent public health concern. The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders / Médecins … Read more
Treating kala azar-HIV co-infection in Bihar Kala jwar. Black fever. Dumdum fever. Visceral leishmaniasis. These are the many names by which kala azar is known. The disease spreads through the bite of a sandfly or balu makkhi and is almost always fatal if left untreated. India accounts for 50 per cent of the global burden of kala azar, and Bihar … Read more
Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been fighting kala azar in Bihar since 2007 Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar recently visited the MSF-run HIV–kala azar co-infection ward at the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences (RMRIMS) Hospital in Patna, Bihar. Chief Minister Shri Nitish Kumar, Union Health Minister Shri JP Nadda … Read more