Saadhan Helpline:
Saadhan helpline which provided HIV, AIDS and Family Planning related information and counseling to thousands of callers from India and abroad under the PSI banner during the last 15 years has been successfully transitioned to Mumbai District AIDS Control Society and has officially commenced operations from May 2, 2011 onwards.
The MDACS Saadhan Helpline has received more than 250 calls within the first month of operations and the current call rate is up to 400 calls per month. The Saadhan counsellor solves queries of the common man on HIV/AIDS. Counselling is free of cost and confidentiality of the caller is maintained.
Integrated Solution to PLHIV:
IEC-MDACS has brought together Saadhan Helpline and the Redressal Cell under its umbrella. This is to mainly make sure that PLHIVs get all help possible in getting the right treatment at the right time. While Saadhan Helpline listens to their problems and puts them in touch with the right people, the volunteers of the Redressal Cell co-ordinate with the Health set-up and PLHIV to give them maximum support.
The following is an actual case study without divulging the names of the people involved:
Case Study
Gender: Female Age: 29 years
Marital Status: Single Occupation: Service
Education: Graduate Location: Mumbai
Source: MDACS- IEC material
A distressed female had called up the helpline seeking help for her HIV positive brother. She stays with her old father and her brother. Being handicapped with a leg problem and also being the sole breadwinner, she was finding it difficult to manage things at home. Her brother’s uncontrollable aggressive behaviour and deteriorating health had become a major cause for concern.
A few years after being diagnosed as HIV positive, he had lost his job due to recurrent health problems. Since then he had become very aggressive, cynical and threw tantrums. His wife and child were also HIV positive. Unable to cope with his misbehaviour, his wife had left him taking their child with her. This incident had an even worse impact on him. Turning into a complete recluse, he started shunning people and had limited conversation only with his sister.
She also mentioned that although he had started ART at a government hospital, he stopped it later since he was upset that HIV positive patients were being discriminated at the hospital and was also worried about confidentiality being maintained. He had destroyed his reports too. Later, as her brother refused to step out of the house, the caller arranged for ART from a private doctor. The doctor also paid home visits to treat her brother’s opportunistic infections. However, the caller’s brother misbehaved with the doctor too, resulting in discontinuation of ART.
At the time of the call, the caller’s brother was having several opportunistic infections and was not able to retain food as he was continuously throwing up. His sister would get the medications for him from the same private doctor and he would take the medications only if she personally gave him which was not always possible.
The caller wept throughout the call, overcome by frustration and helplessness. Empathising with the caller’s situation, the counsellor explained the importance of prompt medical intervention, also informing her about organisations providing home based care and referred her to a PLHIV support group. The counsellor also provided referral of redressal cell’s volunteer (Project Parivartan) to facilitate the process of ART registration. The caller thanked the counsellor for her support and information.
Feedback received from the redressal cell volunteer:
After her conversation at the helpline, the female had called the redressal cell volunteer. She disclosed that she had been unable to establish contact with the PLHIV network. At her request, the volunteer agreed to visit their house and counsel her brother. Initially, her brother fought with his sister for calling the volunteer but later there was a change in his behaviour. The counselling served as a catalyst in changing her brother’s behavior whereby he became more open to his sister contacting the volunteer. The volunteer developed a good rapport with the caller’s brother and interacted amicably with him. Within a couple of counselling sessions, the caller’s brother volunteered to get admitted to the hospital. The redressal cell volunteer helped out in arranging for free ambulance service and admitting him into a government hospital. Currently, his treatment is underway at the hospital and he is due to be discharged soon. He still continues to interact amicably with the volunteer.
Conclusion:
MDACS is absolutely proud to show such a strong impact of bringing together the two services that function independently. Namely, Saadhan Helpline and the Redressal Cell have been brought together and they co-ordinate in such a way that it is totally solution-oriented and of great use to PLHIVs.
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