Now Counseling and Testing Services of General Clients during 20132014, 130.3 lakh (96%) received counseling and testing services against the annual target of 134.81 lakh general clients. In the financial year 201415, the number of ICTCs offering HIV counseling and testing services went up to more than 16,000 centers in India (Stand Alone ICTCs including FICTC & PPPICTCs). 57.02 lakhs general clients were tested for HIV (April - September, 2014) out of annual target of 118 lakhs and 87,226 general clients were detected HIV positive. Diagnosis of HIV/AIDS via early testing along with Pre-test and Post-test counselling is important for psychosocial stabilization. Risk reduction counseling as a preventive counseling method is equally important in high-risk individuals such as adolescents, substance abusers and in gay and bisexual population.
Regular patient counseling is different than HIV/AIDS counseling. Counseling helps HIV infected patients in various ways to cope themselves in a normal life with normal living. Acknowledging the persons about infection, allow such persons to receive prevention counseling to help initiate behavior change to avoid infection, or, if already infected, to prevent transmission to others. Counseling mostly improves the client's adherence to ART drugs, maintain nutritional diet, and improve psychosocial behavior and quality of life. To maintain quality counseling for the patients, counseling provider's skills on counseling need to be updated as directed by the guidelines of NACO with improved strategies.
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