Situation Review on Voluntary Counsel-ling and Testing:Implication for Thailand Policy on Anti-Retroviral Therapies

Abstract

This study is to review the situation on voluntary counselling and testing in Thailand. Questionnaires were sent to all provincial and district hospitals (840 sites), 10 percent of primary health care units selected by stratified random sampling (1,000 sites), all non-government organzations (NGO) working with HIV/AIDS (240), people living with HIV/AIDS groups (531) and private hospitals (364). Main questions were basic information of organizations, policy and service for HIV/AIDS and counselling service. The results showed that questionnaires received from provncial hospitals, district hospitals, primary health care units at 66,451, and 350 copies and from NGO's, people living with HIV/AIDS groups and private hospitals at 95,199, and 83 copies respectively. Key elements in HIV/AIDS care such as asking for informed consent, respect patients right to refuse blood test, confidentiality were practiced by most organizations surveyed. However, reporting test result to employers or insutance company, not defining age to use service without parents consent, limited service for people with diminished mental capacity, those not read and speak Thai, prisoners, and migrants were major concerned. In term of service coverage, all hospital levels provided services for pregnant women, people living with HIV/AIDS, drug users, and chronic patients but they were limited for psychiatric patients, reproductive health and sexually transmission diseases. The adequacy of equipments, room for counseling service, and number of personnel were best among provincial hospitals, followed by district hospitals, and primary health care units.