Kerala: HIV counselling reaches at the taluk-level

September 13, 2007

HIV counselling reaches taluk-level

Tuesday September 11 2007 05:13 IST

Express News Service

T'PURAM: For the first time in the state, a taluk-level counselling

and testing centre for HIV positive persons will be opened at

Neyyattinkara Taluk Hospital on Tuesday.

The centre, being opened by the Trivandrum District Network of People

Living with HIV/AIDS (TDNP+), will function as a Community Referral

and Service Centre. The centre is intended to provide counselling and

service to HIV positive people, create awareness about HIV/AIDS among

the general public, remove the social stigma towards such persons and

also conduct a grassroots-level survey over the prevalence of the

disease.

A voluntary counselling and testing centre and a library have been

set up at the Taluk Hospital as part of the centre. Facility to test

blood samples is available and for more diagnosis and treatment, they

would be referred to the Medical College Hospital, where the district-

level Prathyasa centre functions. TDNP+ is a network of HIV positive

people of the district and they work in close association with the

Kerala State AIDS Control Society (KSACS). The Prathyasa drop-in

centres of HIV positive persons instituted by KSACS is run by the

TDNP+.

According to statistics, there are 400 HIV positive persons in the

district and a major chunk of them are from Neyyattinkara taluk. As a

result, TDNP+ decided to set up a centre here for constant

surveillance.

The centre will be inaugurated by Priyamvada, chairperson of

Neyyattinkara Municipality, at a function which will be attended by

Kesavan Kutty, chairman, Health Standing Committee, Neyyattinkara

Municipality, Usha Titus, Special Secretary (Health) and Project

Director, KSACS, G Anchana, president, Council of People Living with

HIV/AIDS in Kerala (CPK+) and Anil ph, general secretary, CPK+.

V+counselling+reaches+taluk-

level & Title=Thiruvananthapuram & Topic=0

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