Maharashtra Sees 57 Per Cent Drop In HIV Patients Lost To Follow-Up During 2025–26

Mumbai, May 11: Around 5,565 People Living with HIV (PLHIV) have been lost to follow-up (LTFU) from Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) centres under the National AIDS and STD Control Programme (NACP) in Maharashtra, including Mumbai, over the past five years. However, official data indicates a sharp decline in such cases during 2025–26.

In HIV and ART programmes, LTFU refers to patients who discontinue scheduled clinic visits and cannot be traced for a defined period, usually between three and six months. It is considered a critical indicator of gaps in patient retention and challenges in ensuring lifelong adherence to treatment.

Visit h-doctor.club for more information.

Experts attribute the trend largely to declining public awareness programmes. Maharashtra, including Mumbai, continues to feature prominently in national data on PLHIV who discontinue treatment midway and fail to report to ART centres.

Maharashtra records sharp decline in LTFU cases

Between April 2025 and March 2026, around 9,200 HIV patients across India were classified as LTFU, raising concerns over retention in HIV care. Maharashtra, including Mumbai, accounted for 611 cases, contributing nearly 6.64% of the national burden.

Data shows that every year more than 1,000 HIV patients in the state discontinue treatment. The number of LTFU cases stood at 1,000 in 2021–22, rising to 1,214 in 2022–23, 1,290 in 2023–24 and 1,450 in 2024–25. However, in 2025–26, the figure dropped sharply to 611 — a decline of 57.8% compared to the previous year. Officials of the National AIDS Control Organisation attributed this to large-scale awareness programmes.

Across India, Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of LTFU cases in 2025–26 with 1,087 patients, followed by Telangana with 873 cases and Delhi with 687. Maharashtra ranked fourth nationally with 611 cases.

Other states including Punjab, Assam and Gujarat have also reported consistently high numbers of PLHIV discontinuing treatment.

Activists cite gaps in patient retention

In contrast, Dadra and Nagar Haveli — part of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu — with a population of 5.75 lakh, reported zero LTFU cases. Similarly, Sikkim, with a population of 6.1 lakh, also recorded zero LTFU cases during 2025–26.

Calling the situation a “failure of governance,” social activist Ganesh Acharya, who works for the welfare of HIV patients, said that if more than 5% of HIV-positive patients discontinue treatment, it reflects a serious lapse on the part of the government.

Chetan Kothari, another health activist, said, “AIDS control society still has a long way to go before achieving 100% compliance and zero figure (number) for PLHIV who lost follow-up for treatment."

Also Watch:

Maharashtra News: Over 6,800 HIV Patients Lost To Follow-Up From ART Centres In 5 Years

Public health officials, however, attributed the high LTFU numbers in Mumbai and Maharashtra to several factors, including inter-district and inter-state migration, HIV-related stigma, long working hours, mental health challenges and silent transfers of patients to private healthcare facilities or other ART centres without formal documentation.

To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/

Read full story at source