Médecins Sans Frontières - A Caregiver’s Story of Hope and Strength (EN)

Unique Identifier Code / URN MSB253446

Date taken / Date Recorded 20/07/2025 6:03 PM

Expiration date 24/11/2030

Country India

Commissioning section MSF-INDIA

Photographer / videographer / producer Deepak Bhatia

Copyright MSF

Usage Rights (MSF) Advertising Campaign, MSF Fundraising, Social Media, MSF Publications

Formal Consent Copy available yes

Editor's rating ★★★ (F)

Video format h264 (High) (avc1 / 0x31637661)

Duration 3m44s

Maximum Size 1920px × 1080px 545.50 MB

Special instructions Subtitles:

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He worked in Delhi as a driver.

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We supported our children with that income.

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We educated our children.

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We had four children. One girl and three boys.

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After he started living in Delhi,

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he started getting a fever.

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He got treatment,

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they even gave him IV fluids.

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They tried many things. He would be fine for two-four days.

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Then it would come back again.

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Then we admitted him in Jindaha.

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After treatment there,

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he was fine for a month.

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Then after a month, it was the same again.

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They were treating him only for typhoid,

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saying it was typhoid.

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They gave him medicine but there was no change.

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Whether he was sick or not, we managed our children’s needs.

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We gave money for our daughter’s education.

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Be it notebooks, pens or books.

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We didn’t have money and our children were very young.

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Still, we took loans from the village

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and took him to Hajipur.

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Troubles? There were so many of them.

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The kids were so young, but they still had to earn money.

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We couldn’t send them to school.

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We sent them to work, and that’s how our home ran.

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They charged 50,000 rupees for one night in AC.

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They tied his hands and feet separately.

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We protested a lot asking,

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Don’t you see the patient instead of just the money?

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Why are you tying the patient’s hands and feet like he’s crazy?

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Then they stopped answering our calls.

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When we go there, whatever we say…

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they’d speak so harshly that our words would get stuck in our mouths.

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Then we wouldn’t say anything else.

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MSF is where we got help and treatment from.

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When we got treatment here,

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they give us money for transportation.

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When we return, they also give us fare.

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The sir says when there’s no money for fare,

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how can you come?

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So, sir sent Rs 500 from here and said come for the treatment.

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That’s how we’d come here.

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They explained everything daily.

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When we came here regularly, they would tell us how to live,

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what to do, what to eat, what to drink.

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The brothers explained everything, so we understood everything.

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Now I don’t take things so hard.

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I don’t think about what things are or aren’t.

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Earlier, when it was new, people affected us a lot.

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We were also scared.

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We would tremble and

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cry daily thinking what happened to my husband.

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If my husband passes away, how will we live, what will we do?

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Now, he takes the medicine, as advised.

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9 PM at night,

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and 4 in the morning on an empty stomach,

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but the night one after food, at 9.

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If we stop, the disease will progress.

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So, we don’t step.

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I give him all the medicines on time.

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We wish we didn’t have to go too far for the medicines.

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We wish we could get the medicines in our village itself.

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We wouldn’t have to go far.

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It takes two and a half hours.

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We’ve to sit for a long time for the medicines.

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After meeting the sisters (from MSF’s patient support team),

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I was comforted by them,

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and the fact that they’re always here with us.

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Because of them, I felt courageous.

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We understood that this is just a disease.

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With proper support,

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treatment and community understanding,

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people living with HIV can lead fulfilling lives.

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MSF continues to work alongside

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local health systems to create a future

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where quality care is accessible to all.

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Free from stigma and discrimination.

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Together

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we can build a healthcare

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system that serves everyone with dignity and respect.