Health activities

The HIV / AIDS prevention activities aim to reduce vulnerability to HIV and its consequences in the Kyrgyz Republic by strengthening knowledge and skills in the field of HIV, conducting information sessions among the population, especially among young people and adolescents: raising awareness among young people about HIV prevention, the formation of young people's skills of responsible attitude to their health by using the technology of "peer educators".

Target Groups

• Migrants (internal)
• Vulnerable teenagers
• Sex workers
• Injecting drug users
• PLHIV
• Servicemen
• Drivers (truckers, taxi drivers)

Purpose of the activity:

Reducing the vulnerability of HIV and its impact in Kyrgyzstan by achieving the following results:

• preventing further spread of HIV infection;
• supporting people with HIV;
• reducing stigma and discrimination in HIV;
• enhancing the ability of the National Red Crescent Society to support and support large-scale HIV programs.

Activities are carried out in all regions of the country through a network of volunteers who are trained ToT and prevention of HIV. Volunteers conduct information sessions in schools, universities and other educational centers.

The RSCK is a member of the ERNA (European Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Network on HIV / AIDS, TB and Hepatitis C). Since 2014, ERNA Secretariat is located in Kyrgyzstan, its hosting and operation is carried out by the Red Crescent of Kyrgyzstan. Mission - to encourage joint activities and to help build the working capacity of the National Societies in the sphere of HIV, AIDS, TB and Hepatitis C through the gradual development of community level. At present, the members of the network are National Societies of about 38 countries belonging to the European Region.

Goal:

Improving the health status of vulnerable people by raising awareness about TB prevention and providing psychosocial support to target groups.

Target groups:

TB patients receiving treatment according to the DOTS strategy, TB patients are from the most vulnerable groups of the population, and those at high risk of discontinuation of treatment:

• Migrants that are unemployed do not have a regular income, needy; have many children, with poor living conditions, only breadwinners, TB families with low adherence to treatment.
• Pensioners - single, with poor living conditions, low incomes
• The poor - have many children, poor living conditions, alcoholics, low income groups, TB families, with low adherence to treatment.
• Students - arrived from remote areas and living in a hostel
• People with risky behavior-having drug and alcohol dependence with low adherence to treatment, with poor living conditions
• Former inmates- having no fixed place of residence, with low adherence to treatment
• Disabled persons

Components:

Patronage of TB patients

Direct control of treatment with the delivery of drugs at home:

1. the health visitor is provided for TB patients who do not have the opportunity (for medical or other indications) to get to the treatment location. Health visitor delivers medicines and
2. Each nurse sister of the Red Crescent patronizes 20 TB patients on outpatient treatment. Patients for patronage are selected together with a physician, from among the target groups.
3. During the visit, nurse sister assesses the psychological condition and social conditions of the patient's living, family composition, adherence to the treatment of the patient and his environment, and availability to work.
4. The nurse sister of RCSK controls the complete evaluation of all family members and regular examination of the patient during treatment. Explains the need for expectoration re-delivery and proper expectoration collection for analysis.
5. A visiting doctor provides counseling for a patient with TB in matters of taking medicines:
   • name,
   • quantity,
   • dosage,
   • regular reception,
   • importance of continuous treatment,
   • side effects.

They also provide TB patients and their families with psychological support, with sense of responsibility for their own health and for the health of their families, raises the self-esteem of TB patients, reduces their stigma and increases their motivation for treatment.

Such work is provided through individual interviews and group support.

Psychological support of patients with tuberculosis

Provision of psychological assistance is widely used for MDR TB patients, they often have psychological problems associated with taking more drugs, more pronounced side effects of medicines, which can cause the patient to be depressed, and lead to loss of motivation and separation from treatment.

To achieve the goal (adherence to treatment) - integrated models of a tuberculosis program based on positive experience, international standards and global strategies have been developed and integrated. Introduced such a direction as the creation of support groups, helping the client to cope with stress and make personal decisions about their health.

• Individual support (open communication, mutual respect and emotional interaction between the visiting nurse and the patient)
• Group support (group of mutual support-facilitators ex-TB-volunteers-former TB patients who successfully completed the treatment, a visiting nursing staff of RCSK). Mutual support groups help to fight the stigma and discrimination that patients face during treatment. Also in groups, volunteers from among those who have recovered from their own experience tell them that tuberculosis is curable and how they fought with it. Such examples are necessary for patients with tuberculosis, for adherence and full course of treatment.

Information and educational work:

• General population
• Community of migrants
• Residents of new buildings: people living in remote areas of Bishkek (who seized their land plots illegally and live in clay houses that do not meet sanitary and hygienic standards), where there is no infrastructure and low level of medical and educational services prevail.
• Migrants: people who have arrived to large cities from remote areas of the country in search of better jobs, living without a residence permit in removable rooms and not having access to medical and social services.

In the educational work in target communities, promoters (leaders of this community, recognized by the population and respected) and volunteers from the community (promoters' assistants) are involved. They are trained to inform the public on TB:

Total information about TB (symptoms of TB, prevention of TB, where to go for signs of TB, TB treatment).

Promoters and volunteers provide information to their communities in communities. If symptoms of TB are detected, then write a direction (developed by the ND) and send it to a nearby honey. the institution for sputum examination, after 2-3 days, re-visit this family to clarify the diagnosis.

Among schoolchildren (organized population):

In schools of target communities, a group of volunteers is created from active schoolchildren. They are trained by the nurses of the program to provide information on TB by equal and equal way and conduct information sessions among their peers (according to the developed modules).

Topics: Prevention of TB, Continuous treatment, Side effects, HLS, Stigma and discrimination, Discussion of the problems of the patient and his family.

Combating stigma and discrimination

Advocacy, communication and social mobilization

At the moment the project is implemented in:

• Naryn oblast (in all districts) with the support of the Spanish Red Cross,
• Osh oblast with the support of the Spanish Red Cross
• Bishkek (Sverdlovsk, Oktyabrsky, Leninsky districts), in the Chui oblast
• Jalalabad region

Information and educational work covered more than 200 000 people.

International and national partners: Ministry of Health, National Center for Phthisiology, TB Dispensaries, Family Medicine Centers, GSIN;
International organizations: International Committee of the Red Cross, USAID;
Non-governmental organizations: "Alternative in narcology", "Social life".

Target groups:

• General population of Kyrgyzstan
• Youth
• Business sector

Goal:

• Develop a culture of voluntary, gratuitous blood donation among the population, thereby increasing the collection of donated blood
• Involvement of new donors, transition from the group of Family Donors to the group of Voluntary donors
• Increase the capacity of the National Red Crescent Society of Kyrgyzstan in voluntary, gratuitous blood donation.

Components / specific tasks:

• Conducting information sessions for educational institutions (schools, colleges, CSPs, etc.) and for the business sector
• Conducting site campaigns for blood collection in conjunction with National Blood Centre
• Holding the National and Worldwide Donor Day throughout the country

Instruments of implementation

Seven regional staff and 125 volunteers across the country were selected and trained, who hold information sessions throughout the country, with the further involvement of new donors and regular blood donors

Sites of activity realization:

All sites of Kyrgyzstan

Main achievements:

• Memorandum has been signed between RCSK and the Republican Blood Centre
• At the moment, the number of attracted donors in the country makes more than 1000 people for 8 months
• The medical personnel of the Blood Centre together with blood centres of Jalal-Abad, Osh and Batken oblasts attended trainings on "friendly" attitude towards donors
• information materials, audio and videos  on donation were developed.

Membership in other networks:

• International and national partners:
• Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic,

National Blood Center and all Regional Blood Centers

Target groups:

population of the Batken oblast with eye diseases

Objective:

To improve the quality of services in the field of eye diseases for the population of the Batken region.

Components / specific tasks:

• Improve access to medical services in the field of eye diseases
• Improve the quality of services at an equitable and affordable level for the entire population of the region
• Advocacy and effective lobbying at the state level to improve services in the field of eye diseases and reduce preventable blindness.

Main achievements:

• The necessary equipment was purchased for the Regional United Batken Hospital for diagnostics and eye surgery
• A memorandum was signed between RCSK and Batken United Hospital
• Ophthalmology office in Batken Hospital opened
• 184 successful operations were performed during the period April-June 2017. (84 operations in Batken and 100 operations in Kyzyl-Kiya)
• 2057 patients were diagnosed
• local ophthalmologists and nurses are being trained

International and national partners:

• Swiss Red Cross
• Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic
• Batken United Hospital
• Kyzyl-Kii Hospital