On 14-15 September was hosted a visit the expert of NGO “Gay-alliance” Anatoly Nishtuk in Vinnitsa. During the visit, held meetings with a regional coordinator of the “Gay-alliance” Tatiana Nikelsen, chiefs physicians of the Vinnytsia Regional AIDS Centre and the Regional Narcology dispensary to ensure the sustainability of health and social services to representatives of vulnerable communities at the expense of local budgets in Vinnitsa region.
In particular, the chief physician of AIDS center Igor Matkovsky is seeing ensure sustainability by creating the center of integrated services based at the Centre for HIV/AIDS, which will ensure the provision of services for IDUs, OST participants, sex workers and MSM. Chief physician of the regional Narcological dispensary Pavlo Slobodyanyuk ensure sustainability issues for IDUs and OST participants is seeing by ensuring uninterrupted funding for prevention programs for IDUs and medicines for OST.
Next Steps:
• Development and adoption of the regional Strategy for sustainability of services in the field of HIV/AIDS for vulnerable groups and regional Strategy for sustainability services concerning drugs, including action plans for them.
• Development of mechanisms for allocation of funds for harm reduction programs for vulnerable groups from the regional budget and interaction between the AIDS center as the main manager of budgetary funds and “Sociotherapy”.
• Explore of possible optimal options for ensure sustainability of prevention HIV/AIDS services for MSM representatives.
For reference:
Work on capacity building and capability of vulnerable communities implemented by NGO “Gay-alliance” in the direction “Social mobilization, strengthening of ties, cooperation and coordination” among vulnerable groups IDU/OST, sex workers, MSM, former prisoners in 5 regions of Ukraine (Odesa, Kherson, Vinnitsa, Cherkasy, Kirovograd), with the financial support of ACO “All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH” and ICF “Alliance for Public Health”.
