75 family doctors of Odessa and Belgorod-Dnestrovski were taught to make HIV testing.

75 family doctors of Odessa and Belgorod-Dnestrovski were taught how to make HIV testing and consult the clients on the topic. On February 13-17, 2017, the series of the 3-days trainings on “Rapid testing and counseling work on HIV” took place in frames of the large pilot project “The sustainability of the HIV services”. Making HIV counseling and testing more available for the clients – right now is a primal task in the work for the increasing of the HIV knowledge in the area. Knowing the diagnosis allows the people to change their lives and start receiving the help.

During the 3 days of the training, the specialists got to know the full information on the epidemical situation in the world, in Ukraine; were introduced to the legislature base and the necessary documents, received the knowledge and skills on the pre- and post- HIV-testing counseling and – learned to make rapid testing on HIV.
The rapid-tests allow the client to know his status within a few second.  The participants also tested each other on HIV. Valentina Lukyanenko, on the trainers said: “Family doctors and medical sisters gained theoretical knowledge and practical skills of the HIV testing. In addition, it was very interesting to see how many deep questions rose during the 3 days of the training. It means that the participants were motivated to know the topic and understand it. I think that the training went very well and was fruitful and that the knowledge will be applied at the best”. “The rapid testing on HIV is a basic service in the establishments for the primal and special treatment of the HIV. Now more people can have an easy access to the services and therefore can get to know their status before it gets more complicated to cure the disease” – sais Alexei Yaremenko, the council for the politics and the deputy head of the USAID «HIV services reform in action» project, that supports the pilot project “Sustainability of the HIV services” in Odessa region.
Similar trainings for the doctors and nurses are taking place in 7 pilot-project regions, the participants of the project «HIV services reform in action»  – Kiev, Odessa, Poltava, Kanev, Krivoi Rog, Pervomaisk and Kherson.  In 6 months over 700 doctors and nurses will be taught HIV counseling and testing.