Correspondent
KOHIMA, NOVEMBER 21
COMMISSIONER & secretary for Health & Family Welfare Nagaland, Sentiyanger today said that people living with HIV (PLHIV) deserve to live normal lives, for which it is important for them to step forward and avail services that are intended for them.He urged upon the PLHIV not to hide in fear of the stigma that people who are ignorant tend to associate the former with. “If you feel ashamed then nothing can be done, so it is very important for you to come forward and live normal lives by availing proper care services,” he encouraged PLHIV community.
The commissioner & secretary said this while addressing the state level advocacy program on Vihaan Care & Support as the guest speaker at Hotel Japfü, Kohima on Thursday. Vihaan Care & Support is a national care and support service for people living with HIV.
Sentiyanger expressed optimism at the launch of Vihaan in the state and on its implementation being given to an NGO. He maintained that NGOs have inherent flexibility, therefore, they have the potential for wider reach. Towards this, the official urged upon all the NGOs working with PLHIV not to confine themselves to their own community but to widen their sphere of activities and reach out to schools, colleges and the society to create awareness on the basic information of HIV and its preventive measures. He stressed that at the same time they should also propagate to do away with the stigma and discrimination attached to PLHIV.
Expressing dismay that only Kohima and Dimapur get mentioned most of the time when it comes to advocacy programmes or statistics, the commissioner and secretary asserted that diseases are not confined to urban areas and he emphasized the need to reach into the interior grassroots levels. He also underscored the need for setting up of care & support centres (CSCs) in the rural areas to look after children living with HIV as well as HIV and AIDS orphans.
He asserted that people need to take the issue of HIV seriously and the ultimate objective of all related agencies should be to educate the public so that new infections are prevented. He further called for joint efforts in formulating new strategies to tackle the spread of HIV and AIDS.
The official also released a small handbook on Vihaan Care & Support Nagaland on the occasion.
Giving an introduction on Vihaan care support centre, state programme manager Vihaan, David Khing said the objective of this national program supported by Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) Round-IV Phase II (global fund), is 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 and 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. Khing 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; early infant diagnosis; connection with Lost to Follow Up (LFU); 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.
The programme was attended by members of various departments and NGOs including those from Food & Civil Supplies, Labour department, Health & Family Welfare, Family Planning Association of India, NSACS, Nagaland Users Network, KUN, NNP+ and KNP+.
