Mumbai, Jan. 14 -- More than 6,800 HIV-positive patients in Maharashtra have been classified as lost to follow-up over the last five years, an official said on Wednesday, raising serious concerns about treatment continuity and patient retention under the state's HIV and anti-retroviral therapy (ART) programmes.
In HIV care, lost to follow-up refers to patients who discontinue scheduled visits at ART centres and cannot be traced for a defined period, typically ranging from three to six months. This indicator is considered critical, as it reflects gaps in long-term treatment adherence and the effectiveness of follow-up mechanisms required for lifelong therapy.
At the national level, a total of nine thousand nine hundred sixty-nine HIV patie...