Project Ahana
Project Ahana is Plan India's national programme working towards an AIDS free generation in partnership with the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and supported by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM).
Parent to child transmission is a major route of HIV infection among children. To stem the tide, the National Health Mission has committed to providing HIV screening services to all pregnant women as part of the essential Antenatal Care package. Project Ahana focusses on increasing Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission (PPTCT) service uptake among women in most marginalised communities in India.
In partnership with the national programme, the project works in 14 states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh.
Key Activities (2016-17)
District Resource Team (DRT): To provide oversight and guidance to Auxiliary Nurse Midwives and Accredited Social Health Activists on PPTCT programme, a resource team has been constituted and trained in each project district.
Community Based Testing (CBT): NACO has recently revised the testing guidelines and allowed community based testing in various set ups, using the ancillary health care and peer counsellors for conducting HIV screening after adequate training. Following the same, Ahana is advocating HIV screening of pregnant women at Village Health Nutrition Days (VHND). Till now, the project has been successful to initiate HIV screening at VHND in the 4 states of West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan.
Development of Communication Aid: Project Ahana has developed a set of IEC material focussing on the need for universal HIV screening of pregnant women. The IEC set comprises of a Poster, Sticker (to be put up in public health facilities), pamphlets (for community) and a guidebook for Outreach Workers.
Key Achievements
11,437,247 pregnant women followed up for HIV testing through peripheral health workers
7,472,091 pregnant women underwent HIV testing
2,322 HIV reactive pregnant women linked to Antiretroviral Therapy and care services
1,988 live births through institutional delivery for HIV reactive pregnant women
1,617 babies born to HIV exposed mothers underwent Early Infant Diagnosis
15,747 ANMs received training on National Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission (PPTCT) programme and management of the Whole Blood Finger Prick Test (WBFPT)
26,955 ASHAs oriented on universal HIV screening of pregnant women