Thiruvananthapuram, Dec. 29: The Kerala government has decided to distribute medicines free of cost to HIV-positive people and those afflicted with AIDS.

Chief minister A.K. Antony said in statement here today that the government would make available the standard antiretroviral (ARV) drug at the medical colleges initially. Later, the drug would be available at other government hospitals, too.

Antony also said the state was the first to announce such a scheme for HIV-infected people. By March 2004, all districts in the state would have free AIDS testing and counselling centres.

In Kerala, there are an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people who require regular medication. Expenses for the government, which has sanctioned Rs 1.65 crore as the first instalment, works out to Rs 1,500 a month for every patient. At current prices, the government would have to shell out Rs 18 crore a year.

The government’s decision, based on the recommendation of the State AIDS Control Society, underscores the plight of poor patients who often stop taking the drug because of financial difficulties. But discontinuation of treatment spawned highly resistant viral strains that, in turn, required aggressive an expensive medication.

Dr Prasanna Kumar, the deputy director of the State AIDS Control Society, said the government initiative would help enumerate HIV cases, provide continued care and prevent the spread of the disease.

However, health activists feared that there would be a scramble for the free drugs. The government’s anti-AIDS efforts should not become an instance of rich patients being subsidised at the expense of the poor, said Dr C.R. Soman of the organisation Health Action by People.

There has been a global trend in the decline of drug prices. Even when the WTO price decontrol regime takes effect in 2005, the federal government has the option of compulsory licensing of a life-saving drug and check the price.

Sources said the government’s efforts would heighten social awareness about the scourge. At least one school had been converted into a battleground when two siblings — Benson and Benzy — had to temporarily discontinue their education.

Five-year-old Benson and seven-year-old Benzy, who lost their parents to AIDS, fought their way to a lower primary government school in Kollam after being turned down by several institutions. But they were forced to leave after all the other students stopped attending classes for fear of contracting the virus.

The new decision would help evolve a proper AIDS policy for the state, Soman said.