Report of the Activities in May ‐ July 2007

							Update August 2007
By Dr. Fabian Toegel and Juri Mazumdar

Report of the Activities May-July 2007

May 7, 2007
A new counselor, Niketa Sharma, was introduced to the HIV-project.

May 21-25, 2007
HIV-Counselor-Training in Mumbai:
The training was organized by Raki Nayar and Leo Vargis from WHARF (Wockhardt–Harvard
Medical International HIV/AIDS Education and Research Foundation) in Mumbai for the staff of
the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Program of the Jeevan Jyoti Health Service Society,
Meghnagar, and the Real Medicine Foundation, Los Angeles.
Jimmy Nirmal, the project officer of JJHSS’s HIV-Project, as well as its five counselors, Maya
Bariya, Niketa Sharma, Rajani Meida, Shashank Nagar and Shailendra Singh Thomar attended.
The German volunteer Maximilian Norz joined the training sessions as well.
During these five days, the WHARF center, HIV-information and –testing centers of several
hospitals and NGOs located in Mumbai were visited, where the JJHSS staff learned useful
knowledge and efficient strategies of counseling. Attached below is a more detailed report of the
training days in Mumbai.

May 23, 2007
BMHS-Doctors training:
In the governmental Hospital of Jhabua (town), 25 local Doctors (Bachelors of Medicine) took
part in a training session organized by Dr. Rathor, the Medical Officer of JJHSS. The purpose was
to connect the general medical care of the area with our HIV-project. In addition to medical and
sociological facts concerning AIDS, the young Doctors were taught which symptoms in a patient
should lead to an immediate visit of one of the HIV-information and –testing centers.

June 2007

June 1, 2007
The new I.C.T.C. (Integrated Counseling and Testing Center) in the town of Petlawad (north of
Jhabua) was founded and placed in the governmental Hospital of Petlawad. Rajani Meida took on
the position of HIV-counselor there.

June 3, 2007
The new I.C.T.C. in the Village of Pitol was founded. The position of HIV-counselor was taken on
by Niketa Sharma. A highly frequented Highway leading through Pitol offers the opportunity to
counsel and test truckers, one of the most affected population groups.

June 5, 2007
Organized by and sponsored by JJHSS, a large number of condoms were distributed to the
citizens of Pitol on its weekly market and to truckers passing the village on the highway.

June 7, 2007
Awareness program in the I.T.I. (Industrial Training Institute) of Jhabua (town):
The I.T.I. is an Institution comparable to a lower level technical school, where local men and
women are trained to be, e.g. electricians or mechanics.
The counselors Jimmy Nirmal and Maya Bariya held a training session about the whole subject of
HIV/AIDS in front of 96 people (84 male, 12 female), ages 18 through 32. Right and wrong types
of behavior for AIDS-prevention were discussed, as well as how to have protected, safe sex, and
medical facts to show the consequences and horrors of this disease. After three hours of
explanations and examples, intelligent and interested questions were asked by the audience. The
successful training increased the number of young people to be counseled and tested in the
I.C.T.C. of Jhabua significantly.
June 19, 2007
As on June 5, condoms were distributed to people in and around the village of Pitol.

June 25, 2007
Medical officer, Dr. Rathor and project manager, Jimmy Nirmal went to the town of Alirajpur to
visit its I.C.T.C., run by JJHSS counselor Shailendra Singh Thomar. Later, they had a meeting
with Dr. Gupta, the BMO (Block-Medical-Officer) of the Block Alirajpur, and his team of local
doctors. Dr. Gupta agreed to the plan to increase the number of cases to be referred by the
doctors to the I.C.T.C.s with the purpose of enhancing the efficiency of the HIV-Project.

3 HIV-positive cases were discovered in the testing period of June, all of them in the
Jeevan Jyoty Hospital of Meghnagar.

July 2007

July 1, 2007
Nurses training in the governmental Hospital of Jhabua (town):
The counselors Maya Bariya and Shashank Nagar held an HIV awareness training session for
nurses from the whole district of Jhabua in the governmental Hospital of Jhabua. 35 to 40 joining
nurses were taught the basics of counseling and the general facts concerning the prevention,
diagnosis and treatment of AIDS. The main objective of these trainings is to increase the number
of people to be referred to the I.C.T.C.s.

July 4, 2007
Nurses training in the Jeevan Jyoti Hospital of Meghnagar:
See under July 1.
Counselor: Maya Bariya
Number of Participants: 35-40

July 7, 2007
Nurses training in the Jeevan Jyoti Hospital of Meghnagar:
See under July 1.
Counselors: Maya Bariya and Jimmy Nirmal
Participants: 35-40

July 9, 2007
Nurses training in the governmental Hospital of Jhabua (town):
See under July 1.
Counselors: Maya Bariya and Shashank Nagar
Participants: 35-40

July 9, 2007
Examination Camp in Udaigar:
In the village of Udaigar, Jimmy Nirmal and two nurses of the Jeevan Jyoti hospital staff set up a
so- called examination camp in a small house provided by the community of Udaigar. 38 villagers
were tested with Tridot-kits. The sad result: two doubtful and one positive reaction.

July 10, 2007
Anganvadi training in Thandla:
“Anganvadi” is the Hindi term for a status, mostly held by a woman, in charge of social and medical
matters of the female population of a village. Issues are, e.g. maternity, infant illness or social
problems, i.e. Marriage problems. In the village of Thandla, the HIV-project manager Jimmy Nirmal
introduced nine of these Angadvadi-women from nine villages to the HIV-prevention and care
program and asked them to send as many of the villagers as possible to the I.C.T.C.s. They
promised their cooperation.

July 14, 2007
RCH awareness training in Meghnagar:
HIV-project manager Jimmy Nirmal and project officer Fr Sylvester organized a training session in
the RCH-center of Meghnagar, an institution which provides help and counseling to young families
with their daily problems. The purpose is to carry the HIV-issue into the families and allow them to
talk about it in private. Including the session on the July 21, 2007, also led by Jimmy Nirmal and Fr
Sylvester, 71 couples, 86 single women and 54 single men took part.

July 16, 2007
Anganvadi training at the GFWTC (Governmental Field Workers Training Center) of
Jhabua:
60 to 70 Anganvadis from the whole district of Jhabua joined the training at the GFWTC; an
organization witch takes care of the countryside population. The counselors Maya Bariya and
Shashank Nagar led the session. The topics were the same as on the July 9, 2007 in Thandla. The
feedback showed motivation and the will to change things.

July 21, 2007
RCH awareness training in Meghnagar:
See under July 14.
Counselors: Jimmy Nirmal and Father Sylvester

July 23, 2007
Anganvadi training at the GFWTC of Jhabua:
See under July 16.
Counselors: Maya Bariya and Shashank Nagar
Participants: 60-70

July 30, 2007
With the help of project manager Jimmy Nirmal, four HIV-positive patients were brought to the City
of Indore where they were tested at the ART-Center and then referred for CD4 testing at the
T. Chohitram Hospital of Indore. There, they were examined, counseled and given medical
treatment. One of the HIV-positive patients, a pregnant lady, who was denied treatment in several
hospitals, was admitted there for the caesarean.

Furthermore, the administration of the governmental Hospitals of the towns of Thandla
and Jobat agreed to do routine HIV-tests for every patient diagnosed with TB and for
every pregnant woman, if the patients agree.