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TAAL is:
T = Treatment
A = Advocacy
A = Adherence,
L= literacy and
TAAL helps PLHIV accessing private health care to avail ART
(antiretroviral therapy).
The issues
The government announced free ARV from 1st Dec 2004. INP+ and state
networks concentrated on encouraging all the needy PLHIV to enroll at
the ART centers. But, initially, the experience for PLHIV at these
ART centers was terrific. There were long queue, no confidentiality,
stigmatized attitudes of doctors, nurses and ward boys, their
discriminatory practices and many more. These made the PLHIV to leave
ART centers and turned to private doctors. Many PLHIV used to come to
network and asked for financial support for treatment in private
sector but at same time refused to go to government ART centers. Due
to this, total private ARV medicine’s national sale has risen to
Rs.51.87 cr.s per year and in Maharashtra Rs.9.36 cr; out of this in
Mumbai alone it was Rs.8.84 Cr. over the counter sale, - sources ORG
IMS dated Jan to Dec 2007.
It was also our experience that people who had turned to private
care providers (doctors) and buying drugs over the counter from
pharmacies, had availed no treatment education and this has resulted
in grave consequences. There was absolutely no treatment counseling
and neither the services providers nor the private pharmacies
offered these critical services. PLHIV had also faced financial
burden
TAAL, an initiative from INP+ /MNP+ has been to address these issues
of PLHIV in accessing treatment from private sector. It hoped to
bridge between government and private sectors. In 2005, EMCURE
Pharmaceuticals appreciated our initiative and supported TAAL
program as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility.
The Goals
TAAL has two basic goals:
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to provide one-stop-treatment-shop along with
treatment literacy, treatment counseling, peer counseling and
adherence counseling, accompanied by education on life after
infection, peer support and referrals to government services to
those PLHIV who are unwilling to go to ART centre for treatment and
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to build credibility of government services and link
the community, over a period to the ART centers and at the same
time advocating with government for better quality services and
participation of communities most affected by HIV.
TAAL Services
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Offering comprehensive peer support, treatment and
adherence education.
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subsidized ARV Drug - ARV Medicines dispensed are
manufactured at WHO GMP certified plants. And Five products are
approved by USFDA and WHO
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Referrals to VCTC, ICTC, PPTCT, TB Hospitals, STD
department and ART centers.
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Referral to Government ARV centers
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2nd line treatment - 40% subsidy
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PLHIV linked to Support Group Meeting, access to care
and treatment projects of INP+ and legal aid support.
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TAAL services are offered in four center’s in
Maharashtra at Pune, Thane, Aurangabad and Nagpur
There are 1249 PLHIV benefited from TAAL by the end of
2007.
TAAL is not a parallel structure to government ARV rollout but
supporting and linking PLHIV those who are accessing ARV from private
pharmacies. |
Objective: to create and strengthen the care and support
available for PLHIV through public private partnership
Counseling to the vulnerable population and PLHIV and their
family members/care givers
Made people believe that there is a healthy and positive life
after having infected with HIV
