AP Projects

  • Introduction
  • Health Camps
  • Outreach activities
  • Supportive

Introduction

Care and Support to PLHA in Hyderabad (CHEYUTHA)

Cheyutha is a Telugu word (local language of Andhra Pradesh) which means ‘a supporting hand’. The People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) group organised under the banner of Network of People Positive – now known as HIV of People Positive Efficiency Society (HOPES) chose the name for their new initiative. Cheyutha was launched on 8th February, 2005.

HIV of Positive People Efficiency Society is a community-based organisation, established by like-minded people living with HIV/AIDS in A.P. Cheyutha extends help, advice and support to PLHA living mainly in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad and Nalgonda District.

It also helps the families to accept the infected without prejudice and discrimination.
Keeping the needs in mind, the following activities have been initiated.
  1. Clinical facility: The project provides presumptive and regular treatment for opportunistic infections and treatment for opportunistic infections. Every Wednesday and Saturday, clinics are organised at Cheyutha office, and economically poor patients are supported with free drugs.
  2. Counselling: Members are counselled in groups as well as individually, depending on the need and issues. During the counselling sessions, issues related to positive living, safe sex practices, nutrition and treatment awareness are covered.
  3. Nutritional support: ATMIT Powder (nutritional powder) is provided to the terminally sick patients, monthly ration is provided to the orphaned children living with their grandparents.
  4. Resource Centre: PLHA visiting the centre are provided with the information on services available for them, literature on HIV/AIDS, positive living and related issues.
  5. Referral Centre: Cheyutha works as a referral centre for PLHA referred by others for Cheyutha services and Cheyutha, in turn, refers to other service providers for services not available at Cheyutha.
  6. Child-centered activity: A number of activities are envisaged like a children ’s corner (one side of the office is set aside for children to enable them to play) while the parents spend an uninterrupted time with the staff/doctors, educational support, a summer camp (where children are taught new skills), children’s day programme (where competitions are held and prizes given away). New born baby kits (started by Latter Day Saint Charities) are delivered to HIV positive women on delivery.
  7. Training on occupational skills: In collaboration with Satyam computers, the first batch of ten students have been trained on data entry.
  8. AASHA Programme of APSACS: Many of the network members share their experience with the general public.
  9. Media Advocacy: Programmes were conducted with the help of media to create mass awareness to improve the understanding of the general public with the help of television channels like ETV2, BBC, and TV9.
  10. Capacity building: Network members and staff are involved in the capacity building programmes to upgrade their skills.
  11. Networking: Organisations, hospitals and centres like State TB Chest Hospital, Osmania General Hospital for ARV treatment, VCCTC, PPTCT, Freedom Foundation, 1097- Help Line, Bhavani short stay home, Freedom Foundation Shivananda rehabilitation home, HRLN (Human Rights Law Network Lawyer’s Collective) etc also involved in extending help and support.
  12. Promote and protect the rights of the infected and affected : HOPES is working with the Networking of Lawyer’s Collective - HRLN (Human Rights Law Network Lawyer’s Collective). Eight property cases have been filled with the help of HRLM for their property rights.
 

Outreach activities:

 

S.No.

Activity

Achieved

1.

Contact with new PLHA

451

2

No. of Govt. Hospitals sensitised

21

3

No. of VCCTCs sensitised

8

4

No. of PPTCTCs sensitised

8

5

No. of Pvt. Hospitals sensitised

39

6

No. of RMPs sensitised

14

7

No. of NGOs sensitised

28

8

No. of PLHA assisted in Hospital admission

28

9

No. of PLHA assisted for CD4 Test

120

10

No. of PLHA assisted for ARV Treatment

116

11

No. of PLHA assisted/referred for TB treatment

14

12

No. of PLHA referred to other service providers

20

14

No. of children identified for Educational Support

109

  • Supportive programme:
     

    S.No.

    Activity

    benefitted

    1

    Nutrition supplement

     

     

    A

    		ATMIT Powder

    101

     

    B

    		Ration support

    50

    2

    New born baby kit

    150

    3

    Summer camp

    35

    4

    Children’s day celebrations

    40

    5

    Picnic

    35

    5

    Education support

    109

     

    Rehabilitation

    4

    Cheyutha promoted leadership and initiative of the People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) to take up activities to enable them to address the various needs, especially psycho-social and rehabilitative support. The group proved capable enough to successfully handle responsibilities entrusted to them by Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society, including PPTCTC plus project.

    One of the important activities this year was the formation of district wise network to be affiliated to state-wide and nation-wide networks.
    Cheyutha in Bhongir of Nalgonda district also got strengthened. India HIV/AIDS Alliance, Delhi, channelised DFID Challenge Fund projects in Hyderabad, Bhongir, Kamareddy and Bhubaneswar sites, which envisages PLHA leadership in community-led sexual health and HIV awareness programmes leading to better acceptability of PLHA in the community. Cheyutha has also taken up rights-based issues including institutional discrimination, property and inheritance rights etc. These issues will be further pursued along with rehabilitation, child support and other welfare activities. In 2007, Bhongir and Kamareddy sites will be given priority, while achievements at Hyderabad will be further consolidated.
     

Case Studies

The support restored the Childhood

Kumari Jyotsna sethi, 14 years old, daughter of Banamali sethi belongs from Rajanpali village of Boudh district. She is the only child of her parents and that is why she gets all the affection from her parents. She grows up with much love in the family. She studies in class 8th at Butupalli, High school of Boudh district.

Her father is a small farmer with one acre of agriculture land. The annual income is not sufficient to manage the family economy. However, with the income from his own agriculture land as well as labour work sometimes, her father manages the family and the education of Jyotshna.
Time passes and one day her mother observes that Jotshna is not able to tracing the things and domestic appliances properly and father also observes the same. School teachers complains that Jyotshna is not keeping any interest on study. Her father also observes the same. The school teacher says that she is not able to look at the black board and reading properly. Subsequently, friends and neighbours starts to address her as the blind Girl in the community. Gradually Jyotshna becomes depressed and stops going to play with her friends and avoids the gathering in the community. She also expresses her unwillingness for study. One of the neighbors observes a white spot on the right eye pupils. Her father contacts the local traditional healer for treatment who fails to recover the same through his treatment. The parents make lots of expenses for the treatment of Jyotshna. Then they takes Jyotshna to Boudh District Head Quarter Hospital for treatment. The doctor diagnoses her with immature cataract and asked them for contacting the Mahanadi Netra Chikitsalaya of Birmaharajpur of Sonepur district.
She comes to MNC 5th August 2009 and was admitted for cataract surgery. Her Uncle and Parents are counseled by the Ophthalmic Assistant for the surgery. The cataract surgery is conducted on her right eye on the same day through phaco with the intra ocular lens (IOL) in free of cost. Free spectacles and medicines are provided to her as per the prescription of the Ophthalmologist of the Mahanadi Netra Chikitsalaya of LEPRA Society. After the successful surgery, her parents express their happiness and gratitude to LEPRA Society as well as the person or institution who provides support for this noble work. Jyotshna is now very happy she becomes able to see. Now she has got back her earlier life stile i.e. in relation to continuing her study, playing with friends and joining the community gathering.

The support could provide relief in old age by restoring the vision
Basanti Mahananda, 65/F, she is an old widow lady belongs to very poor family of the Menda village of Tarabha Blcok of Subarnapur District. Long back her husband dies due to heart stroke. She has 3 daughters only without a son who already have married. So, Basanti is living alone and manages her by wage works in different households. She is landless.

However, she gets the oldage pension which is Rs. 200/- (Rupees Two Hundred only) per month. Suddenly, she feels vision problem which increases gradually. She becomes unable to see and work properly. Cooking for herself and earning for herself becomes difficult. As her daughter are in their in-laws’ house, there is no scope of getting support from them. In the course of time, Basanti loses his complete vision. She could know about the community eye screening camp of Mahanadi Netra Chikitsalaya of LEPRA Society at Tarava. She requests her elder son-in-law to guide her to the screening camp. Basanti attends the screening camp and diagnosed with matured cataracts. She is brought to the Mahanadi Netra Chikitsalay by the project outreach bus on 13th August 2009 and was registered for cataract surgery. On 14th August 2009, her right eye is operated through the use of phaco and operating microscope and IOL is implanted. The surgery becomes successful and Basanti gets back her vision in the right eye. After seven days of her surgery, her vision is tested and found with very good vision. She also expresses her happiness as she is able to see the things and do her daily activities independently. She is waiting eagerly for the surgery in her left eye.

Restoration of Childhood

Sumanta Beriha,7/M of C/O Bhagban Beriha, hails from Jatasingh village of Boudh District. He is the youngest son of his parents with three brothers and only one sister. Being the youngest son of his parents Sumanta is being loved by everybody in the family. His elder brother was having eye diseases which led him to incurable blindness. Sumanta was all of sudden lost his vision at the age only 4 years. His father is a farmer and also works as a labourer. The mother is a house wife and sometimes works as labourer. When Sumanta is admitted into the school, the irony that he is found to have very low vision in both of his eyes for which he faces lot of problems in reading and writing. Gradually Sumanta was pushed into more and more darkness. Sumant is not able to carry out independently the daily activities, reading and playing. Gradually he stopped school going, playing with friends. He loses his childhood. The parents have no money for the treatment of their beloved son and because of the same reason and ignorance their elder son becomes blind. They have to only cry and blame their lucks. The parents go to the District Head Quarter Hospital, Sonepur but, the treatment could not be possible as the hospital is not having facilities for children surgery.

In course of time, his uncle who is staying nearby MNC informs his parents to come to MNC for treatment. The parents come with the son on 7th February 2009 and Sumanta is registered bearing the MR No 47526/09. He is detected with congenital cataract in both his eyes. Parents and the uncle are counselled for the surgery. Sumanta is admitted on the same day. His right eye is being operated with Small Incision Cataract Surgery (SICS) with IOL on 8th February 2009. His vision is improved to 6/18 in his right eye.

Now, he is able to play, read and write and he is happier that his vision has again restored. His parents are too happy as the childhood of their beloved son is getting restored and have expressed their gratitude to MNC for great support to their child and family. After few days, his left eye will be operated.

Resources

Infrastructure: The hospital is housed in its own two storied building having a covered area of 5000 sq. ft.. MNC has accommodation for 30 beds, suitable surgical and therapeutic equipment are available for providing eye care. The hospital has a minibus for outreach activities and transportation of patients identified with cataract to the base hospital for surgical intervention.
Physicians/Staff: There are 30 full time/part time workers at the MNC hospital. These include one full time doctor, nurses, paramedical staff and non-clinical personnel. The physicians are well supported by a multitude of staff members such as nurses, refractionists and technicians who actively participate in the health care team
Work Times: The hospital works six days (Mon-Sat). Patients usually come at 9 a.m. and the work day ends at 5 p.m.
Food: Breakfast, lunch and dinner are also provided free of cost to the patients and their attendants. On an average food is provided to 30 numbers of people per day at MNC.

 

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