Mumbai: In Maharashtra, 611 people living with HIV (PLHIV) were lost to follow-up and treatment in 2025-26, according to data obtained through an RTI from the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO). This represents a significant 57% decline compared to the 1,450 dropouts recorded in 2024-2025.
Understanding Lost to Follow-Up
NACO defines lost to follow-up as a patient who has not attended clinic visits or taken free medicines for a period between three and six months. Chetan Kothari, a south Mumbai resident who filed the RTI, noted that the corresponding all-India figure for 2025-26 was 9,200, down from 20,312 in 2024-25. This metric is a critical obstacle in disease elimination, as it can lead to higher mortality, increased transmission, and the emergence of drug-resistant strains. The World Health Organisation aims to end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.
Activists Call for Zero Dropout
Health activist Ganesh Acharya questioned why any dropout should occur when patients receive free medicine and care. Ideally, there should be zero dropout, or at most single-digit numbers. Activists fear that many PLHIV remain outside the free treatment net. Approximately 40,000 PLHIV are registered with the Mumbai AIDS Control Society for free antiretroviral therapy. Acharya also questioned why the government has not released HIV-related death data for three to four years.
Official Response and Interventions
A senior official from a local AIDS control authority confirmed the dropout rate decrease in 2025-26. A city public health official stated that NACO has implemented several interventions to prevent dropouts, including strengthened counselling and regular workshops with role plays to emphasize treatment adherence. Age-specific interventions for adolescents and senior citizens are also organized regularly.
However, a public health expert cautioned that Indian data is often revised over months. The 611 dropouts in Mumbai could increase as data trickles in from various centers over the next six months, potentially reaching a much larger number.
