AHF India treatment and care centre in Churachandpur Manipur

[Guest guest]

AHF India Cares brings hope for PLHAs in Churachandpur, opened Center of Hope to

provide comprehensive HIV Cares services.

" Our profuse thanks and gratitude to AHF India Cares for the Center of Hope. We

are indeed filled with hope that the project will bring additional relief to

lighten our sufferings, assist and support us, build and strengthen our capacity

to elevate our status to enable us to become a self healthy, self sufficient and

a valued productive member of the society. It is our hope that the project will

prioritize addressing women issues. We want AHF to help us restore our dignity

and bring reason to smile and hope in our lives " [Representative from the

Positive Women Group]

Lamka, Manipur: July 8 2009

AHF India Cares opened Center of Hope in Lamka, Churachandpur, Manipur under its

North East India HIVAIDS Initiative on the 8th of July 2009. The program was

launched by Dr.V C Pau District AIDS Officer, Churachandpur, Government of

Manipur, Dr T.K.Hatzaw, Dr.Kim Simte and Dr Chinkholal Thangsing, AHF Asia

Pacific Bureau Chief, Dr Thangpa Serto, District TB Officer, Chandel, the Staff

of the Center, T Jankhogin – Proejct Coordinator representative from various

agencies including the Medical Community, iNGOs MSF and SHALOM and other NGOs

representatives, Positive Networks, Church leaders, Community based

organizations, Youth groups and members of the General community grace the

occasion.

" We welcome AHF India Cares for brining such project which is the need of the

hour. We shall extend all support to make the Center of Hope a success and draw

relief and generate hope for PLHAs. We need AHF support to address challenges

faced we faced at our ART roll out services such as treatment education,

adherence, tracing and minimizing lost to follow up. Our have high hopes that

such reputed Global AIDS agency will usher our existing services to higher level

of HIV care service provision " said Dr. V C Pau – District AIDS Officer,

Government of Manipur.

" Our profuse thanks and gratitude to AHF India Cares for the Center of Hope. We

are indeed filled with hope that the project will bring additional relief to

lighten our sufferings, assist and support us, build and strengthen our capacity

to elevate our status to enable us to become a self healthy, self sufficient and

a valued productive member of the society. It is our hope that the project will

prioritize addressing women issues. We want AHF to help us restore our dignity

and bring reason to smile and hope in our lives " said Naro – Women Positive

Group.

" AHF is happy to bring additional value added services in a comprehensive

package of activities for People with HIVAIDS. We will strive to lend a helping

hand to support and work relentlessly with dedication to strengthen treatment,

care and support services. We will work hand in hand with both government and

NGOs to bring hope and healing to PLHAs and the people of Churachandpur " said

Dr. Chinkholal Thangsing, Asia Pacific Bureau Chief, AHF Global

Background: Manipur is a small state in north-eastern India; with a population

of 2.3 million the state shares a 358 km long border with Myanmar in the

east. The national high way 39 leads directly to the " Golden Triangle, " where an

estimated 8-10 percent of the global production of opium takes place, from which

the purest form of heroin is, manufactured (UNODC, 2007). The first HIV positive

cases were detected in Manipur among the IVDUs youths in early 1990.

The epidemic of HIVAIDS in Churachandpur is about a decade old, sentinel

surveillance shows that while HIV infection through syringes has been

drastically decreased from 76% (1998) to 19% (2006), HIV infection through

unprotected sexual route increase alarmingly.

The sero-positivity rate of Churachandpur is the highest in the country. The

latest data available reported that there are around 30000 HIV cases of which

7821 are female. The sero-prevalence rate among pregnant women attending ANC is

3% in Churachandpur in 2007.

Most of those infected are IVDUs and there is an estimated 6000 IDUS in the

district. The HIV seropositivity rate per 1000 is 117.26. Churachandpur district

has recorded a positivity rate of 16.70 %. Over 3000 registered at the District

ART Centre, estimated 400 children with AIDS and 500 AIDS Widows.

The goal of the project is to extend continuum of care by providing

comprehensive treatment care services. The project will reach out to 350 PLHAs

and over 1050 affected families, provide HBC/DIC Services, Conduct HIV Testing

and Prevention services for over 10000 people, build and strengthen networks,

provide IGP for selected AIDS infected widows, treatment education, support

group for adherence, promote high quality care services, psycho-social services

through the project by the end of 2009.

________________________________________

AHF India Cares established in 2004 and registered as a Trust in 2006 carries

forward the vision and mission of AIDS Healthcare Foundation and implements life

saving Anti-retroviral treatment, care and support, prevention and public

healthcare programs India. In India AHF operates Center of Excellence in New

Delhi providing Free Comprehensive services including 2nd line treatment,

Community HIV Testing, Stay Negative Preventive – Condom Campaign in 13 states

and Continuum of Cares /Comprehensive treatment care and support services in the

states of Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland working with local

stakeholders and partners. In the Asia/Pacific region, AIDS Healthcare

Foundation currently provides free anti-retroviral treatment and services to

people in need through its clinics and programmes in India, Nepal, Thailand,

Viet Nam, Cambodia and China.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the US' largest non-profit HIV/AIDS

healthcare provider. AHF currently provides medical care and/or services to more

than 100,000 individuals in 22 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin

America/Caribbean and the Asia Pacific Region.