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Post-`Puli Raja' helpline
"I kissed my girl friend the other day. Will that make me HIV positive'' asks a teenaged caller.
"Will I be testing positive just because I had consumed some eatables on Beach Road? I was told that the person serving the eateries is infected with the virus,'' queries another.
"Is there any possibility of my getting infected with the virus if HIV positive blood is mixed in the alcohol I do consume occasionally'' yet another wants to know.
Some of these may be crank calls. But most of the queries the PSI (Population Services International) Saadhan Helpline on HIV/AIDS are regarding the myths linked to the infection.''Of course, we do get crank calls. But due to low awareness level, we do get such calls seeking clarification on misconceptions attached to the disease,'' the helpline manager, Jessy Choudhury, told THE HINDU on Friday.
The Saadhan Helpline can be accessed (Tel: 2552222) between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. from Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturdays. A doctor is also available during certain hours if callers wish to speak to him as well. The helpline houses a contact list of health and social services that callers can refer to for further support and medical care.
PSI, India's largest social marketing NGO, has set up helpline in Mumbai, Chennai and Visakhapatnam after kicking off its awareness campaign to prevent spread of HIV/AIDS in 12 port cities under the project named ''Operation Lighthouse''.
After the highly successful `Puli Raja' campaign in AP and Tamil Nadu, the helpline in Visakhapatnam is getting on an average 425 calls, Mumbai 1,000 and Chennai 2,000 a month. The helpline in the city, the only one in AP, also gets calls from Hyderabad, Vijayawada and other far-off places.
Ninety-eight per cent of the callers to the city-based helpline are Telugu-speaking and the average counselling lasts 30 to 45 minutes. Interestingly, nearly half of the callers seek information under the pretext that either their `friend' or `brother' had sex the other day without using a condom and, whether there was any chance of he/she getting HIV infection. The number of people in the 20-25 age group is predominant.
Admits the PSI regional programme manager, Justin DeNormandie: ''Though the initial response is not much, slowly it is picking up. Many people here are getting confused between Saadhan Clinic (where tests are conducted free of cost with utmost confidentiality), and Saadhan Helpline as the same logo is used for both.''
The number of callers, which was abysmally-low initially after the helpline was set up in September 2003, is increasing slowly. The PSI is also planning to launch an aggressive advertisement and hoarding campaign on tele-counselling offered through its helpline and test facility at Saadhan Clinic. If the demand arises, the PSI is also willing to launch a 24-hour helpline, Justin says.
If anyone is found requiring special attention like continuous treatment or hospitalisation, the PSI refers the patients to NGOs like Green Vision and World Vision. Some patients have been referred to the 200-bed Emmanuel Missionary Hospital located near Narsipatnam.
The PSI project manager, Ravindra Kumar, says that they have professional counsellors to help patients to overcome the initial trauma. The PSI sends about 30 inter-personal communicators to various areas having high-risk groups like Jalaripeta, Gajuwaka, Port Area, Fishing Harbour and Malkapuram with audio-visuals and other forms of publicity material to create awareness.
SANTOSH PATNAIK
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