Care & Support and Treatment

Care & Support and Treatment Division

The Care & Support and Treatment Division primarily focuses on the Treatment and Care of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) under the National AIDS Control Program.

Various facilities operating under CST Division are:

These facilities are essential in providing comprehensive care and support to PLHIV.

PLHIVS FLOW AT ART CENTERS

ART Centres and their Functions:

ART Centres are responsible for providing lifelong Antiretroviral Therapy (ART). All individuals confirmed as HIV-positive are eligible for ART, regardless of their clinical state or CD4 count, in alignment with the TREAT ALL policy. The primary functions of ART Centres include:
1. Medical Functions: Treatment and counselling services to PLHIV.
2. Psychosocial Functions: Referral and linkage to social benefit schemes for PLHIV.
3. Programmatic Functions: Working towards the goal of Ending AIDS by 2030 by ensuring the suppression of viral load in PLHIV and minimising the risk of ongoing transmission (Undetectable = Untransmittable, U=U).
4. Training and Mentoring Functions: Supporting capacity building and knowledge sharing among healthcare providers.
These centres are strategically located in Government General Hospitals and District Headquarters Hospitals to ensure the provision of secondary and tertiary care services. The team at ART Centres includes Medical Officers, Counsellors, Pharmacists, Staff Nurses, Data Managers, Lab Technicians, and Care Coordinators.

ART Initiation and Monitoring

PLHIV are initiated on ART after undergoing preparatory counselling, with the involvement of their family members and treatment supporters. Initial assessments, including a baseline CD4 count and various other investigations like blood sugar, liver, and renal function tests, are conducted. Active opportunistic infections, especially Tuberculosis, are screened and treated. Once ART is initiated, the patient is monitored through clinical and laboratory follow-up. Viral load testing is also done as per guidelines to assess treatment response.
Currently, the state of Telangana has 22 Government ART Centres and 8 ART Centres established in private medical colleges as per NMC guidelines. For a full list and addresses of these centres, please refer to the provided link.

Centres of Excellence

ART Centres provide 1st-line ART medicines, while complex 2nd and 3rd-line ART regimens for patients who fail 1st-line treatment are provided by Centres of Excellence (CoE). These specialised centres are located as follows:
  • Adult CoE: Gandhi Hospital, Hyderabad
  • Pediatric CoE: Niloufer Hospital, Hyderabad
Additionally, the state has three ART Plus Centres located at Warangal, Nizamabad, and Khammam, equipped to provide 2nd-line ART medicines to PLHIV who fail to respond to 1st-line treatment.

Link ART Plus Centres (LAC+) / Link ART Centres (LAC)

To make ART services more accessible, Link ART Plus Centres (LAC+) and Link ART Centres decentralise services, bringing them closer to patients’ residences. Selected Integrated HIV Testing Centres (ICTC) are designated as LAC and LAC+ centres. LAC+ centres have an additional staff nurse. Clients who are stable on treatment are referred to LAC/LAC+ centres from the parent ART centre. These clients will be referred back to the parent ART centres as and when needed, as per guidelines.
Currently, 13 LAC Plus Centres and 61 LAC Centres are functional in Telangana. For a comprehensive list and addresses, please refer to the provided link.

Care and Support Centres (CSC)

To enhance survival rates and improve the quality of life for PLHIV, Care and Support Centres (CSC) have been institutionalised. These centres offer community-based services, including counselling, psychosocial support, outreach activities, linkages to welfare schemes, and the creation of a supportive environment for PLHIV.
Currently, 13 CSCs are functional in Telangana, working as an extended hand to support ART Centres.

For free HIV/AIDS Counselling and Testing, contact the ICTC center in the government hospital or call the toll-free number 1097.