‘Advocacy progs need to reach out to rural areas’

Expressing regret that advocacy or statistics programmes on HIV and AIDS are mostly focused in Kohima and Dimapur, commissioner and secretary health and family welfare Sentiyanger Thursday said diseases were not confined only in urban areas and appealed to the responsible agencies to reach out to the people in rural areas, which were even more vulnerable.

Sentiyanger was speaking at the state level advocacy programme on Vihaan Care and Support – a national care and support service for people living with HIV – as guest speaker at Hotel Japfü, here Thursday.

Speaking on the need for a wide campaign on awareness of HIV and AIDS and its basic information where its prevention was the only cure, he said NGOs working with People Living with HIV (PLHIV) should reach out to schools, colleges and the society and extend their activities and to shun stigma and discrimination to PLHIV.

Asserting PLHIV deserved normal lives, he encouraged them not to remain under fear of stigma but to avail the care services offered to them.

Sentiyanger also highlighted the need in setting up of Care and Support Centres (CSCs) in the rural areas to look after children living with HIV as well as HIV and AIDS orphans.

He called for joint efforts to formulate new policy to grip the spread of HIV and AIDS. Introducing the Vihaan CSC, state programme manager Vihaan, David Khing said the objective of the national programme supported by Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) Round-IV Phase II (global fund), was to improve the survival and quality of life of PLHIV.

He explained that the state’s chapter of Vihaan implemented by NNP+, was launched in April 2013 and its activities started rolling in May 2013, wherein Kohima, Dimapur and Tuensang have been selected for CSCs while Wokha, Peren, Zunheboto, Kiphire, Phek and Mokokchung were selected for set up of Vihaan help desks.

He also said the CSCs will provide link between health care service delivery and community; information on care and support; access to health referrals; education and referrals to social welfare schemes; easy accessibility; and safe space for PLHIV and HRGs.

Vihaan will link and coordinate with Nagaland State AIDS Control Society (NSACS) along with District AIDS Prevention & Control Units (DAPCU) for activities like data sharing with ART centres, district hospitals for clinical care, local resources mobilization and community consultation among others.

Earlier, the commissioner secretary also released a handbook on Vihaan Care and Support Nagaland on the occasion. Representatives from various departments, NGOs, Nagaland Users Network, KUN, NNP+ and KNP+ and others attended the function.