Advocacy workshop held
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 24 2013: With the aim of strengthening the capacity of the communities to address issues facing People Living with HIV/AIDS and Children, World Vision India has organised a workshop in Imphal from April 22-24 .

Program Manager of World Vision, Paul T Touthang said that it has been globally recognized that an effective response to the HIV epidemic requires effective partnership and the active involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) at every level.

Protecting the fundamental human rights of people living with HIV is a key factor in ensuring better access to care and prevention programs, informed a statement.

Addressing the participants, Daisy David, World Vision India, shared from her experience of the importance of capacity building and grass root-level advocacy to ensure that the rights of PLHIVs are protected.

Altogether 50 PLHIV from both Imphal East & West districts participated in the 3 days Grass-root Advocacy capacity programme, the statement said.

The issues identified and put forward by the PLHIVs to the officials included access of BPL Card for all the PLHIV, to increase the number of CD4 count machine in district hospitals, unavailability of the most important investigation machines such as viral load and PCR (early diagnosis of HIV machine for children), nutrition support for their children especially those who are on ART, and phasing out of SACEP ( State AIDS Clinical Expert Panel), according to the statement.

Dr Momota Mukharjee, CMO, Imphal East; Dr Joykumar-District AIDS control Officer DAPCU-Imphal West; Thokchom Nandeshwar, District Supervisor DAPCU-Imphal East and N Dhana, District Supervisor, Imphal West were present in the programme, it added.

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