OpenForum – a blog by the Health and Human Rights community

Trained laypersons can assume more of the responsibilities associated with the care of individuals with HIV, thanks to a new HIV Medics program at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in New Delhi. This 12-week program, developed by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, trains people with no medical background to take on basic clinical tasks, such as drawing blood and dispensing medication, as well as administrative responsibilities, such as taking patient histories and referring patients to doctors. Students in the program are also trained to provide treatment adherence counseling to HIV patients. The first class of HIV Medics graduated on June 8, 2009.

The training provided by this program and others like it facilitates task-shifting from other medical professionals, such as doctors and nurses, to individuals without high-level medical qualifications. As a result, doctors and nurses have more time to devote to treating multiple patients. Therefore, task-shifting can help relieve the burden on doctors and nurses in settings where medical professionals are scarce. Read more

Dominic d’Souza, a leading AIDS activist in India, did not know why he was arrested in February 1989, until he saw a medical report. His crime? Being HIV-positive. After he had donated blood several months earlier (which later tested positive for the virus), the hospital contacted the local police, who acted in accord with the province’s Public Health Act and detained him. Under the Act, detention for HIV-positive individuals was mandatory. He was held in a dirty, cramped, former TB sanatorium against his will for the next 64 days. Shortly afterward, this particular Act was amended to eliminate the mandatory detention of infected patients, but other oppressive, discriminating HIV laws exist throughout the world. Read more