This is a report from the Myanmar Times. Times have changed at the Myanmar Times so I want to be sure I have this right.
USAID will give $10 million over two years to UNAIDS in Myanmar to regrant it to NGOs. They will share prevention messages, perform HIV testing, perform CD4 cell testing, refer positive people, transfer patients to the National AIDS programme, and assist them to get treatment.
The sites are not listed.
Right? Anywhere else we can read about the project?
Jamie
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Two-year project launched to treat HIV/AIDS patients
Myint Kay Thi
Myanmar Times
06 Oct 2017
A two-year project aimed at providing treatment to vulnerable groups in four states and regions with high HIV/AIDS has been launched this week in Yangon, the UN program against HIV (UNAIDS) announced.
The National AIDS Program (NAP), under the Ministry of Health and Sport and six non-governmental health organisations, will work together in helping people living with HIV, drug users, male homosexuals, sex workers and their partners, who are key demographics affected by the disease, according to officials from the organisations involved.
Dr Myo Kyaw Lwin, senior program adviser from UNAIDS said that the project will be implemented by the six local and international organisations that are partners to UNAIDS. They include Population Services International (PSI), ASIAN Harm Reduction Network (AHRN), Medecins du Monde (MDM), Medical Action Myanmar (MAM), Metta foundation and ENVISAGE.
For the project, starting this year and extending until 2019, USAID will fund US$10 million, which will be distributed to the six partner organisations through UNAIDS Myanmar.
He added that the project aims to assist the activities of NAP under the Ministry of Health and Sport (MOHS) to achieve milestones in fighting HIV/AIDS.
“The project hopes to share prevention messages to key population. It includes testing blood, referring the people confirmed as HIV positive, assisting them to get treatment, testing CD4 cells count and transferring the patients to National AIDS program,” said Dr Myo Kyaw Lwin.
After discussing with NAP, they have selected four regions and states highly affected by HIV. However, the specific date for the project’s kickoff still needs further discussion, he added.
Dr Tun Nyunt Oo, program manager of National AIDS Program, Department of Public Health told The Myanmar Times that Yangon and Mandalay regions, Kachin and Eastern Shan states are the four areas where most of Myanmar’s HIV patients are found.
“Sixty percent of HIV patients are from Yangon, Mandalay and Kachin in the country,” he said.
In Myanmar, the estimated number of people living with HIV nears 230,000. Among them, 127,000 patients received Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), and 8,000 passed away from the disease.
On the number of patients receiving Antiretroviral Therapy, MOHS released a report in 2016 stating that 38pc of all patients are from Yangon, 18pc from Mandalay and 18pc from Kachin state respectively.
The HIV prevalence rate among key exposed populations is 28.5pc for people injecting drugs, 14.5pc for sex workers, and 11.5pc for homosexual men, according to the 2016 data of the health ministry. Moreover, the prevalence rate is 0.2pc for pregnant women and 0.6 percent in the general population.
“The national program is sharing life-long ART drug for free through ART centers. I would like to advice people to test their blood if in doubt,” Dr Tun Nyunt Oo said.
“To achieve our goals, cooperation from National AIDS Program, non-governmental organisations, civil society groups and the public is very important,” he added.
The National Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS (2016-2020) states that its aims to promote and protect human rights and gender equality, particularly for key exposed populations who are most affected by the epidemic, including people living with HIV, drug users, homosexual men, sex workers and their partners.
NAP received more than $80 million this year from the government, Global Fund and other donors from home and abroad. NAP official explained that about 300 centers opened nationwide and are providing ART to patients.
NAP is implementing awareness programs, prevention and protection including sharing condoms, blood testing in priority groups, and sharing ART therapy for people living with HIV. Myanmar aims to end AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.
https://www.mmtimes.com/news/two-year-project-launched-treat-hivaids-patients.html
