Mysuru: AIDS Society of India President Dr. I.S. Gilada said that Indian pharmaceutical companies are responsible for saving the lives of 92 per cent of the people with HIV, as they outsource the manufacture of medicines to India. He was speaking after inaugurating the 20th Anniversary of Asha Kirana Charitable Trust, here yesterday at a private convention hall and said if a medicine costs 100 dollars, Indian pharmaceutical companies are capable of producing the same medicine at just one dollar. “Earlier, Indian medicines were considered spurious and the western pharmaceutical companies would take these medicines to test them in their laboratories. When they found that it was genuine, they did not tell the world that it was good but kept quiet. Whenever the Western world keeps quiet in such things, it means it is good,” he said. According to Dr. Gilada, ART (Anti-Retroviral Therapy) medications, which treat HIV is the gift of Government of India to the world. However, the sad part is we ourselves do not recognise this great contribution. “Everybody wants the neighbour’s children to be a Mahatma Gandhi or a Bhagat Singh. But they do not want their own children to mould their lives like these great leaders because it involves a lot of sacrifice,” he observed. Lauding the efforts of Asha Kirana, he said the four pillars of success that any organisation needs are Location, Initiative, Projection and Promotion, which Dr. S.N. Mothi and his team of dedicated Trustees and staff have achieved. “There is no vaccine yet which can eliminate AIDS HIV. Hence do not stop the good treatment of ART,” said Dr. Gilada. Dr. R. Balasubramaniam, Founder of Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement (SVYM), speaking as the chief guest said that the services rendered by Asha Kirana can be best described by three Hs of Swami Vivekananda — Heart to Feel, Head to think and Hands to work.
