HIV / AIDS Project

3 ‘S’ Link Tambaram Hospital

The month of March recorded a strength of 9425 Nine thousand four hundred and twenty five) in – patients in hospital as against the strength of during the last month. The number of patients on ART is also on the raise.

The number of patients on ART is also on the rise. The reason may be because of the ignorance of people to go to the hospital to check for HIV status inspite of knowing their life style or because of the poor economic status which results in poverty and poor nutrition where by the CD4 count drops. They reach the hospital in a very late stage. But the people admitted in Government Hospital of Thoracic Medicine (GHTM) have been lucky due to the initiative of Indian Red Cross to run this project where by nutrition Education and counselling are given.

Counselling:

More than 95% of the patients and family members receive counselling during their stay in the hospital. The general counselling is conducted by the counsellors in the wards. This deals mostly with facts about HIV/AIDS, transmission, prevention, safe sex importance of care and support by the family and importance of good eating habits, adherence to drugs and so on. One to one counselling is given to people who need special attention.

Nutrition couselling is conducted every day in one ward and the patients and the family members attend it so that they can take care of them better. They are taught about the importance of good food, balanced diet which are simple and easily available food stuffs at low cost. They come to know how important it is to take nutritious food along with medication for better health.

Hygiene support:

400 Hygiene kits were distributed to the newly admitted patients who were admitted for the first time in the hospital. Their joy found no bounds to receive a kit with so many items as bath towel, bath soap, washing soap, tooth paste and brush, oil and comb. The kits were distributed in the wards by the office assistant under the supervision of the counsellor.

Nutrition Support: 

The Nutrition support through supplementary diet takes care of 1/3rd the nutritional requirement of the day. To enhance the nutrition and to change the taste sometimes vegetables are added to the pongal. Patients of all age group enjoy eating the supplementary diet. On special occasions sweet pongal is given to the patients and they welcome it even more.

Some of the low cost recipes are demonstration to them. They are also taught to plan diet according to their health condition. Hand outs are given to the patients with diets for anemia, jaundice, diabetes, TB and also foods to be included and avoided according to the opportunistic infection.

Human Story:

          A lady of 25years from Salem District was admitted in the hospital with severe diarrhea and weight loss and found to be a diabetic. During the ward visit, the counsellor found the lady to be very depressed. The counsellor made an effort to talk to her alone. The lady, her husband and her child are HIV positive. The man was positive even before marriage but the parents did not reveal it even though they knew about it. During pregnancy she went to Salem government hospital for check up and routine check up revealed that she is HIV positive. The husband was also checked and found positive. Only then he told them the truth. This was a very big shock to the lady and her family members. The lady did not know much about HIV/AIDS except that the people who are positive will die soon. Later the child was tested and found positive. She become a total wreck. She was falling ill very often and her health condition was deteriorating. She became very anemic. She did not know about her diabetic status until she was tested. That again was insisted by the Red Cross counsellor when she was complaining about various symptoms.

The counsellor took special interest and everyday spent sometime alone with her. She was given general conselling about HIV/AIDS. Diet counselling and psychological counselling. The patient’s husband visited her now and then and he was also counselled. Now both of them have understood the need to take care of each other, to have positive thinking for better future, safe sex and to adhere to medicine. Now their attitude has changed for the better. The lady’s condition is improving and she will be discharged soon. They have learnt about balanced diet, good food habits, importance of personal hygiene, to plan diet according to health conditions as anemia, diabetes and so on.

Both of them said that they are ever grateful to Red Cross for changing their attitude towards life for a better future.

CCC – Dharmapuri:

To contribute to improve the quality of PLWHA and their families through care and support. Anti stigma anti discrimination activities with greater involvement of PLWHA. Improve community care center by PLWHA and their children through provision of Nutritional support, counseling and advocacy.

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