 |
|||||||||||||||
|
HIV/AIDS Project Targets Indian Ports MUMBAI, India, August, 16, 2002 — The first two private voluntary counseling and HIV testing (VCT) clinics in India have been launched here by PSI/India. The clinics are part of an innovative HIV/AIDS prevention behavior change program known as "Operation Lighthouse" (OPL) funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The project, with funding of $20 million over five years, works in 12 port cities across India, and is among PSI's largest programs. PSI/India has been preparing the foundation for this important project over the last 12 months. The non-profit clinics are targeted at low-income people, and clinic charges are set according to the ability to pay. A key intervention under this program is the establishment of clinics providing high quality VCT and sexually-transmitted infection (STI) services targeted to high-risk groups. Over the past three months, two "Saadhan" (means a "key" or "solution") Clinics have been established in two prominent trucking points in Mumbai. The OPL team has ambitious plans to open up Saadhan Clinics in six more towns over the next eight months. The lessons learned from the New Start experience in Zimbabwe have played a significant role in jumpstarting this program. Other key interventions of OPL include:
— Sanjay Chaganti, "Operation Lighthouse" HIV/AIDS Prevention
Director, PSI/Mumbai
|
 |
|
||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||
