HIV/AIDS Training for Doctors in Manipur by SAATHI

[Guest guest]

SAATHI trains AIDS trainers

The Imphal Free Press

Imphal, Apr 29: A team of doctors along with some of the resource persons went

on a visit to one of the Community Health Centre in Imphal west. This visit was

a part of the programme of the facilitators` workshop (training of trainees) as

organised by Solidarity and Action against the HIV infection in India (SAATHI)

in collaboration with Manipur State Aids Control Society (MACS) and NRHM, Imphal

west.

In the three days training programme 27-29 April 2009 both the Medical and

Para-Medical Staffs were trained so that they could in turn become trainers and

train the other staff - doctors, nurses and other paramedics. They emphasised

more on the decentralisation of HIV services.

Through this programme the trainees are being trained on the issue of HIV/AIDS.

Group discussion, role play, group interaction were some of the tools used in

the training programme. They are trained on how to recognise the situation of

the patients so that they can provide first aid and direct them for further

treatment to the proper places. The trainees are made to understand and get

familiar with the various types of drugs to be provided to the patients like ART

and such.

Dr. Meera Ramanathan from Bangalore currently working in Coimbatore as Public

Health Specialist in HIV Medicine - who has been working as HIV consultant for

the past 11 years and been training the trainees is one of the resource persons

of the training programme.

The problem of HIV has become a major issue in the North-East and more

particularly in Manipur due to the intravenous use of drugs. So the need for

spreading more awareness/information on HIV to the masses has become a must -

like how to deal with the issue, how to treat the infected and affected people,

what type of medications to be provided, what type of counselling to be given,

how to take care of pregnant women, how to lessen the risk of transmission of

HIV from the pregnant mother to her unborn child. All these have become a must

and hence the training to provide trainers and spread the awareness.

Anu Somasundaran, social worker from Chennai who was also a part of the trainees

discussed the stigma and discrimination faced by the people infected and

affected with HIV. According to her, many people cannot come out for treatment

and counselling due to the huge barrier created by the stigma and

discrimination. So through more awareness programmes particularly on the

knowledge of HIV/AIDS - how it is spread, what are those things that do not

spread it etc. Then more people will come forth for treatment and the issue of

stigma and discrimination will also be lessened, she said.

Dr. Moses Christian, from St `s Research Institute, Bangalore was also one

of the trainees who trained the doctors so that the trained doctors in turn

could train other doctors and students.

Altogether 13 doctors and 14 paramedical staffs participated in the 3-day

training programme.

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