TACLOBAN CITY- The regional office of the Department of Health (DOH) will establish a treatment hub for individuals who are suffering from human immunodeficiency virus-acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV-AIDS) in every provinces and cities. This was disclosed by DOH Assistant Regional Director Paula Paz Sydiongco who said that establishing a treatment hub will help address the increasing number of HIV-AIDS in the region. The DOH will also open social-hygiene clinic in every province and city as part of the services provided by the HIV-AIDS treatment hub. At present, the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC), located in Tacloban City, is the only treatment hub for HIV-AIDS in the region. “As of now, the only treatment hub we have is the EVRMC. We will open treatment centers in provinces and cities for people with HIV-AIDS to have closer access to the treatment hub and we can examine more people at the social-hygiene clinic,” Sydiongco said. The same services offered at EVRMC will be offered at the treatment centers in provinces and cities, she added. Since 1984, the year the government started to track down on individuals who are suffering from HIV-AIDS, about 312 individuals have been confirmed to have acquired the virus and the ailment in the region. For this year, so far, the DOH has monitored 33 new cases. The DOH had confirmed five individuals from the region who died due to AIDS. Most of these cases were acquired through sexual contacts. Majority of those who acquired HIV-AIDS were males who were practicing male-to-male sexual intercourse. Only few sex workers were tested positive with HIV/AIDS. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
