INTERVIEW-India not treating AIDS patients early-Global Fund

By Bappa Majumdar

NEW DELHI, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Thousands of AIDS patients in India are not receiving treatment on time, underscoring huge challenges the country faces as it combats the disease, the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria said on Thursday.

India, with 2.27 million patients, is among the top three countries with the highest number of HIV cases, alongside South Africa and Nigeria.

But with HIV cases lying untreated in many parts of the country, it poses a threat to the country's prevention measures, the fund's executive director, Michel Kazatchkine, said.

"Some of the population groups are at higher risks and it means we have to reach these groups with prevention," Kazatchkine told Reuters in an interview.

"There are 300,000 people receiving treatment, but that is about only one-third of all the people who are estimated to be in need of treatment."

Indian authorities say HIV cases are showing signs of rising in parts of New Delhi, the financial hub of Mumbai, and the north and northeast among other areas.

"In order to access treatment you first have to know that you are HIV positive," Kazatchkine said.

The Geneva-based Global Fund, which signed healthcare agreements worth over $244 million with India this week, has committed $1.8 billion to New Delhi for fighting AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis since 2002.