VCTC A CENTRE OF RELIEF, HOPE AND EXCELLENCE

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VCTC A CENTRE OF RELIEF, HOPE AND EXCELLENCE

• Dr Amar S Fettle
• Paediatrician,
• General Hospital, Trivandrum

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WHY

• Uptake of information is fast
• Doubts and anxieties emerge- especially in
  those who have experienced risk
• Now what?. Where to go?.. Whom to ask?
• Health care centre?..CHC doctor?

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BUT..

• Im not sick- why go to a doctor
• They are busy people may not have time for a
  dialogue
• What if they examine me? Do tests on me?
• No privacy in our local hospital. someone might
  know

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IF ONLY..

• There was someone caring, and knowledgeable
• There was some place quiet and private
• Where no one would see me, know me
• Where I could know for sure.

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There IS a demand..

• The VCTC meets the need

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V o l u n t a r yC o u n s e l l i n g T e s
t i n g C e n t r e
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Voluntary

• Walk in service
• No reference letters needed
• No compulsions, only attractions

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Counselling

• Inbuilt
• Confidentiality
• Knowledge bank
• Empathy
• Dialogue for solution
• Empowerment strategies
• Care and support

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Counselling

• Pre-test counselling
• Risk assessment
• Pre test screening
• Avoiding unnecessary / too hasty testing

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Counselling

• Post- test counsellingNegatives
• Window period
• Behaviour change counselling
• Life skill development to face future risks

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Testing

• In-house facility
• Fast
• Accurate
• State of the art
• No fuss- single window approach

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VCTC problems

• Lack of publicity
• Continuity of care.
• very important for the hesitant shy client

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Solutions

• Wide publicity thro healthcare institutions
• Posters in all wards and OPDs
• Sensitisation of all doctors, nurses, lab staff,
  and other healthstaff
• Field publicity thro JPHNs, JHIs,
• Inclusion of Private Healthcare Centres in
  publicity campaign

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Solutions

• Wide publicity thro other departments
• High school and Higher education sector
• Social welfare dept
• Home dept.
• religious institution sponsored awareness-
  camps, pre marriage courses

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Solutions

• Wide publicity thro media
• Creatively built in messages in entertainers
• Ads in newspapers, radio/ TV channels
• Ads/ posters in Cinema theatres, entertainment
  centres
• .Publicity at bus stands, railway stations, ports
  and airports

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Continuity solutions

• Staggered rotation of staff
• Incentives to stay on

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Other Roles for VCTCs

• ART / OI drug storage and disbursal centres
• Counsellor training, apprenticeship centres
• Referral linkage with Hospital ART units
• Linkage with Care Support units

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Thank you

• Participate in the dawn
• of a new era of
• caring service
• thro V C T C s