DOH Region 8 to set up HIV/AIDS treatment hubs

TACLOBAN CITY, July 20 (PNA) -- The Department of Health (DOH) regional office here will establish treatment hubs in every province and city in Eastern Visayas for human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) affected individuals.

DOH Assistant Regional Director Paula Paz Sydiongco the proposal seeks to address the increasing number of HIV-AIDS cases in the region’s six provinces – Leyte, Southern Leyte, Biliran, Samar, 

Eastern Samar and Northern Samar and seven cities – Tacloban, Baybay, Ormoc, Maasin, Catbalogan, Calbayog, and Borongan.

The DOH will also open social-hygiene clinic in strategic areas as part of the services provided by the HIV/AIDS treatment hub.

Currently, the region has only one operating treatment hub for the disease – the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in this city.

“We will bring services closer to the people hub and we can examine more people at the social-hygiene clinic,” Sydiongco said.

The same services offered at EVRMC will be offered in treatment hubs.

Since 1984, HIV/AIDS has already killed five persons and infected 312 others in the region. In 2016, the health department detected 33 new cases.

Majority of those infected are males who acquired the disease through male-to-male sexual intercourse, according to health department. (PNA)

BNB/SQM/ROEL T. AMAZONA/EGR