Test, treat and educate masses about HIV & AIDS: Kikheto

May 7, 2023 24 Views No Comment

Mobile ICTC vehicles flagged off for six more districts

Our Correspondent
Kohima | May 7

Six more Mobile (Integrated Counselling & Testing Centres (ICTC) vehicles for Nagaland state HIV/AIDS programme for the districts of Kiphire, Phek, Peren, Dimapur, Zunheboto and Mokokchung was flagged off here today by Nagaland Commissioner & Secretary For Health & Family Welfare, Y Kikheto Sema.

Earlier, four districts -Mon, Longleng, Tuensang and Noklak received new Mobile ICTC vehicles on February 16 last.

The remaining Wokha and Kohima districts would be receiving the same within a short period of time, said Kikheto while flagging off Mobile ICTC Vehicles at the Directorate of Health & Family Welfare, Kohima.

Kikheto, who is also the chairman of Nagaland State AIDS Control Society (NSACS), thanked the National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) for recognizing the challenges and the need of Nagaland state health service, specially pertaining to difficult terrains and hard to reach areas by taking a herculean step in replacing 10 old existing MICTC vehicles with new ones and also with 2 additional vehicles within a record time of few months.

“Nagaland is one of the HIV and AIDS epidemics state, and visualizing the needs, GoI has considered replacing all new vehicles. These new vehicles come with more responsibility to deliver better materials,” Kikheto said.

Nagaland’s Adult HIV Positivity stands at 1.31% which the second highest in the country as against the national average of 0.22%.

The Commissioner & Secretary urged all the officers of the department to work together with NGOs in synergy and scale up all efforts to Test, Treat and Educate the masses about HIV and AIDS as well as other diseases which are envisaged to eliminate by 2030 along the line of SDG Goal.

About Mobile ICTC vehicles
NSACS Project Director, Dr Akuo Sorhie said that the Global Fund sponsored 12 MICTC vehicles through NACO for Nagaland state, “has been phenomenal in changing the approach towards many challenges that we face at the fields while maneuvering with difficult road conditions.”

“We are immensely grateful to the donor- agency and NACO for enabling Nagaland state HIV/AIDS Program to work towards achieving more testing and treatment coverage through leveraging services of the MICTC vehicles in all the districts,” She said.

MICTC vans are involved in the outreach activities for counselling and testing in the hard to reach areas or villages which are far from fixed facilities like hospitals and also in high risk pockets in districts.

Though the vehicles have come through HIV/AIDS Program, these MICTC Van’s are used in the ongoing integrated program activities happening at the districts: thus bringing together Reproductive & Child Health, Viral Hepatitis Program, Prison intervention covering schools and colleges, Health Melas and all sorts of Health Camps organized by the Health Department under the leadership of the Chief Medical Officers in all the districts, Dr Sorhie said.

“We look forward to continue to work together in a more comprehensive manner in order to address health issues of those in need with a holistic approach,” She said.

Seeking continuous cooperation and coordination in all spheres of health components at the state as well as district and sub divisional levels, she said “Together we can give quality service to our people.”

The project director assured that Nagaland State AIDS Control Society is committed to cater to people who need it most, through beneficial use of the MICTC vans, in close coordination with all the programs.

Earlier, the programme was chaired by Dr M Nukshisangla Jamir, Deputy Director (BDS), NSACS.