Govt financing private HIV care

[Guest guest]

AIDS campaign to engage maternity hospitals

M. Dinesh Varma

CHENNAI: The HIV/AIDS campaign in Tamil Nadu is focussing on

equipping private maternity hospitals with a comprehensive package of

basic services to the mother and child.

The move is expected to effectively bridge the gap in HIV/AIDS

counselling, testing, care and support services in the private

sector, which accounts for about 38 per cent of the over 11 lakh

deliveries recorded annually in the State.

At present, the comprehensive package of basic services, formulated

by the Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (TANSACS), is available

only in government maternity hospitals, which account for 60 per cent

of deliveries.

" Whether similar services are available in private institutions

remains a grey area. Our aim is to replicate the comprehensive

package of services now available in government hospitals in the

private sector too, " Supriya Sahu, TANSACS Project Director told The

Hindu.

It is proposed to formalise MoUs with private hospitals willing to

partner with the TANSACS. Under an MoU, the TANSACS will provide

training, help capacity building in treatment of HIV positive cases,

supply rapid test kits as well as Information, Education and

Communication literature.

The TANSACS, in partnership with the AIDS Prevention and Control

Society, has undertaken a detailed district-level mapping of private

hospitals that conduct at least 50 deliveries a month and have a

minimum of ten beds. The process is almost complete. So far, 1,400

hospitals have been mapped against a set of parameters such as

quality of basic services, pre-test HIV counselling, linkages offered

when a mother tests positive and interventions to prevent mother-to-

child transmission.

Partnering hospitals will have to implement the basic service package

and maintain systematic reporting to the TANSACS. An incentive-based

scheme is mooted to provide accreditation status to institutions

enrolling in the programme.

At present, all State-run maternity hospitals are covered under the

comprehensive package of services such as HIV counselling and

testing, managing HIV/TB co-infections, treatment of opportunistic

infections and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of the

disease. " A key requirement is to make counselling an integral

feature of HIV testing, " Ms. Sahu said. It is largely based on the

quality of counselling being provided at ante natal clinics that an

estimated 98 per cent of pregnant women agree to undergo a HIV test.

The TANSACS expects to replicate similar counselling, testing and

follow-up facilities in private hospitals. A Labour Room ground rule

at Government maternity hospitals is to monitor CD4 count of mothers

who test positive and launch anti retroviral therapy when the value

slips below 350. Nevaripine is administered to mother and child to

cut out risk of vertical transmission.

Breastfeeding

The Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission programme follows the

World Health Organisation dictum on breastfeeding infants of HIV

positive mothers.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/08/stories/2008100855011000.htm