Source: The Imphal Free Press
Imphal, November 09:
Dr Anne H Vincent, a project officer for safe motherhood and women's health, UNICEF is in the city to assess the progress of the ongoing JN hospital Nevirapine project as well as to attend a two-day conference on HIV/AIDS and the child, organized by the Indian Association of Paediatrists, Manipur branch at RIMS.
Accompanied by a team of the Manipur State AIDS Control Society, the UNICEF official visited the JN hospital today and interacted with the team which has been looking after the Nevirapine project for a few hours.
Speaking to IFP, Dr Vincent said mothers and children who are living with HIV should keep hope as the price of drugs have come down, new drugs are available and more drugs are coming through research.
She said that as a national policy, employees who are exposed to HIV accidentally while treating patients are entitled to free drugs or reimbursement from the Manipur State AIDS Control Society.
She would be looking into whether kits and drugs meant for post exposure safety measures are there at the hospital, she added.
Regarding the carte component of mother and child, she said that JN hospital should integrate with NGOs (in this respect).
UNICEF is not a funding agency and it provides technical assistance to the pilot project for the feasibility study of Nevirapine therapy.
It needs more comprehensive strategies to deal with the care component for mother and child, she said.
She said UNICEF will be examining the blood samples collected from the children born under the project.
She further said that she is not aware of the situation at RIMS where CD4 test and other tests are being carried out.
She said she met two young mothers of the JN hospital project an-d added that they looked healthy.