TACLOBAN CITY—The Eastern Visayas regional office of the Department of Health will set up a treatment hub for victims of the human immunodeficiency virus-acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV-AIDS) in every province and city in the region.
DoH Assistant Regional Director Paula Paz Sydiongco said establishing a treatment hub will help stem the increasing number of HIV-AIDS in the region.
The department will also open a social-hygiene clinic in every province and city as part of the services provided by the HIV-AIDS treatment hubs. At present, the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) in Tacloban City is the only treatment hub for HIV-AIDS in Region VIII. “The treatment centers in the provinces and cities will allow people with HIV-AIDS to have closer access to the treatment hubs and we can examine more people at the social-hygiene clinics,” Sydiongco said.
The services offered at EVRMC will be offered at the treatment centers in provinces and cities, she added. Since 1984, when the year the government started to track down individuals suffering from HIV-AIDS, about 312 individuals have been confirmed to have acquired the virus and the ailment in the region.
This year, the DoH has so far monitored 33 new cases. The DoH confirmed five deaths of AIDS. Most of the cases were acquired through sexual contact. The majority of those who acquired HIV-AIDS were males who were practicing male-to-male sexual intercourse. Only a few sex workers tested positive for HIV/AIDS.