PHRII to identify women afflicted with HIV / AIDS

Public Health Research Institute of India (PHRII) a non-profit charitable Trust involved in community service for the past six years, is providing free and quality healthcare services for women and adolescent girls in reproductive health care, cancer screening, family planning, and HIV prevention in Mysore district.

Presently the organisation is involved in community based project called 'Saving Children Improving Life' (SCIL), and is conducting a survey in 10 Panchayats to identify women with HIV / AIDS.

In ten panchyat about 85 rural villages, five panchayat towards HD Kote side and remaining 5 Panchayat towards T Narsipura side in Mysore district. Till today, the organization has covered four panchayat and have seen 329 pregnant women from these panchayat.

Earlier, the organisation has completed surveying 144 rural villages in Mysore District and has identified 12 women afflicted with HIV. Speaking to Express, PHRII Administrator Poornima Jaykirshna said 'the motto of PHRII is to identify women afflicted with HIV and take steps to prevent transmission of HIV from mother to child.'

'On the first day we identify the place and setup a camp; on the second day we create awareness among women about HIV/AIDS and on the third day the medical check-up will be held. After identifying women who are tested positive, they will be refereed to other organisations like Samartha, DAPCO for providing free medical treatment,' she added.

Apart this, providing Health education, nutritional support, prevention and treatment of anemia, highlighting importance of breast feeding, preventing infections during child birth and various other counseling will be provided to women, says Poornima.

Training for Physicians

PHRII in collaboration with Prevention International No Cervical Cancer (PINCC), NGO based in California, is providing training to Physicians and Registered Nurses on how to screen people for cervical cancer using Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA), a low cast technique widely used for detecting early stages of cervical cancer.

Apart from this, doctors are trained to treat abnormal wounds using cryo-therapy and Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP), in which abnormal tissues are cut using a thin wire loop carrying an electric current.

Till January 2012, PHRII and PINCC have trained eight Indian physicians and nurses and have screened more than 900 women, among them 20 were treated with cryo-therapy and 10 with LEEP procedure and 20 were referred to cervical cancer treatment, said Poornima.

About PHRII

PHRII is equipped with a complete in-house laboratory with microbiological and PCR equipments for the diagnosis of STI/HIV along with two mobile diagnostic clinics. The institute established in 2007, is situated at Yadavagiri.

PHRII in collaboration with communities and the National Rural Health Mission (NHRM) takes up implementation of projects and rural health programmes. PHRII has more than 25 full-time employees including physicians, nurses, laboratory personnel, health counselors and community outreach workers.