Rama gets go signal for HIV network pact

CEBU, Philippines - In line with a concerted effort to curb the rise in the number of cases of people with human immunodeficiency virus, the City Council has authorized Mayor Michael Rama to formalize a working agreement with Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City in establishing the HIV Service Delivery Network (SDN).

The network will ensure that People Living with HIV (PLHIV) especially People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) will “have a greater access to and increased utilization of medical care, community support and home care services, following the continuum of treatment,  and care and support services.”

The authority from the City Council came following an agreement the three cities signed with the Department of Health – 7 for the establishment of the network. The MOU with DOH was entered into during the launch of the first ever Central Visayas Regional AIDS Summit held in Cebu City.

The Dangerous Drugs Board  estimates that 6.7 million Filipinos have used illicit drugs, one percent of which or at least 20,000 have tried injecting drugs. In 2009, the PWID population size estimate for Cebu City was pegged at 2,500 with another 2,500 in the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu.

Councilor Lea Japson, chairman of  the City Council’s committee on health, said the establishment of the network will ensure the delivery of a comprehensive package of services.

“This will serve as the platform for the delivery of a comprehensive package of services (health and related non-health services) by formally binding together  various service delivery agencies and organizations, referring clients to each other to render appropriate services and providing the venue for these organizations to meet regularly to share information about their referred cases, review delivery of services, discuss and further strengthen the referral and coordination mechanisms,” Japson said.

An operational guide for the HIV SDN for PLHIV in the said cities was developed, adapting and localizing the “Referral System for Care and Support Services for PLHIV and their families in the community” manual developed by Department of Social Welfare and Development and United Nations Development Programme.

This was endorsed by the Philippine National AIDS Council to “help strengthen the referral process and coordination mechanisms, ensure the smooth provision of needed services, and track outcomes of the individual referrals”.

This Sunday, May 25, residents of Cebu City and from neighboring areas can avail of free HIV testing at the Fuente Osmeña Rotunda from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The free testing will be in line with the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial, an international campaign for HIV and AIDS awareness initiated by the Global Network of People living with HIV, a coalition of some 1200 community organizations in 115 countries.

Based on records, there are 1,079 residents in Cebu City ages 15 to 79 years old that have tested positive of HIV/AIDS from 1989 until March 2014.

Of this number, 176 were recorded to have full blown AIDS in 2010. The year after, three people were added to the list and five were added in 2012. By last year, 2013, five more were found to have full blown AIDS. No one with full blown AIDS was added this year, so far. – (FREEMAN)