World Health Organization
Representative to India
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World Health Organization Representative to India |
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HIV/AIDS
Scaling up Voluntary HIV Counseling and Testing Services (VCTCs)
Scaling up Voluntary HIV Counseling and Testing services (VCTCs) as a key to HIV/AIDS prevention strategies in India.
WHO, UNAIDS, and CDC are assisting the Government of India (NACO) to rapidly accelerate the expansion and up scaling of VCT services across the country in order to provide access to VCTCs on a district level (and sub-district level in high HIV prevalence states).
In the first phase (by end 2002) four model VCTCs will be established in hospital settings to serve as regional demonstration sites. In the next phase, each model VCT site will link to VCTCs in the region and improve quality of VCTC services, replicating and adapting their own experiences and lessons learnt.
Working Definition of Quality VCT Services
The provision of professional, client centered counselling and testing services, in an easily accessible, non-threatening, non-discriminating environment, where clients are treated equally and with dignity and respect, where client information is kept confidential, where through an ongoing process of pre-test, post-test and follow-up counselling clients are facilitated to understand their personal situation, realize their abilities and are empowered to make appropriate choices; where HIV testing is not enforced either overtly or covertly and is based on standard protocols; and where services are available for prevention, treatment and care of STIs, (including HIV), opportunistic infections (and for PMTCT); and where follow-up services and referrals are provided.
The United Nations General Assembly in its 'Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, June 2001' stressed the importance of VCT services
P 19 "….recognizing that care, support and treatment can contribute to effective prevention through an increased acceptance of voluntary and confidential counselling and testing, and by keeping people living with HIV/AIDS and vulnerable groups in close contact with health-care systems and facilitating their access to information, counselling and preventive supplies."
P 54 "….by 2005, reduce the proportion of infants infected with HIV by 20 percent, and by 50 percent by 2010, by ensuring that 80 percent of pregnant women accessing antenatal care have information, counselling and other HIV-prevention services available to them, increasing the availability of and providing access for HIV-infected women, including voluntary counselling and testing, access to treatment, especially anti-retroviral therapy and, where appropriate, breast-milk substitutes and the provision of a continuum of care"
P 52 "….by 2005, ensure: that a wide range of prevention programmes which take account of local circumstances, ethics and cultural values, is available in all countries, particularly the most affected countries, including information, education and communication, in languages most understood by communities and respectful of cultures, aimed at reducing risk-taking behaviour and encouraging responsible sexual behaviour, including abstinence and fidelity; expanded access to essential commodities, including male and female condoms and sterile injecting equipment; harm-reduction efforts related to drug use; expanded access to voluntary and confidential counselling and testing; safe blood supplies; and early and effective treatment of sexually transmittable infections"
For more information about HIV/AIDS and VCTCs you can visit the following websites
www.unaids.org or www.youandaids.org or send an email to mahantyb@whoindia.org
The Government of India’s HIV/AIDS Strategy as it relates to VCTCs
The objective of the Government of India’s National AIDS Prevention and Control Strategy is to prevent the further spread of HIV/AIDS and to reduce the impact of the epidemic. The policy envisages the effective containment of HIV infection levels to achieve zero levels of new infections by 2007 (National AIDS Prevention and Control Policy, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, National AIDS Control Organization, Government of India).
In order to achieve this goal, the government has outlined several policy initiatives, one of which states that “Adequate voluntary testing facilities with pre-test and post-test counseling should be made available throughout the country in a phased manner”. The government has committed itself to establishing at least one VCTC in each district in high HIV prevalence states by 2001-2002. The government realizes the importance of VCTCs not only for HIV testing but as an entry point for prevention, treatment and care.
The National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), India in its strategic plan outlines that:
for more information, please click here http://www.naco.nic.in/
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