Re: Are we ready yet,for Health Care Provider InitiatedHIV testing?

[Guest guest]

Dear all,

Re: /message/7160

The one line answer to your question is " We are not! " We are not yet ready, for

Health Care Provider InitiatedHIV testing.

Reason. Because the health providers, bye and large, have not yet understood the

intricacies of testing and its aftermath.

Most often the testing is delayed (in spite of good indications such as herpes

zoster or tuberculosis). Testing is also done, by many, in order to exclude

persons from care rather than for taking care of them or linking them to care

centers. The onus of findings places where care is available is still on the

patients. So, if Care provider initiated testing is going to add to the widely

prevalent stigma and discrimination then would defeat the very purpose.

Another fear is that many more patients might land up either with irrational ART

or will be gobbled up by the ever increasing number of quacks.

So then what is the solution?

We must accept that the up take at the ICTCs is going to be low. Many would

still seek care at already established service providing centers. Promoting

these centers as places for voluntary counseling and testing as well as for

provider initiated testing and improving there capacities (both technical as

well as infrastructural) could be a way out.

Increasing number of places where STI treatment or PMTCT services are available

and promoting people's access to these could be a solution.

Vinay Kulkarni

PRAYAS

e-mail: <prayashealth@...>