BASIC SERVICE DIVISION (BSD) / INTEGRATED COUNSELLING & TESTING CENTER (ICTC)


NACP provides free HIV counselling and testing services (HCTS) for early detection of HIV infections, the critical first step in detecting and linking people with HIV to access treatment cascade and care. Free counselling and testing of pregnant women are also provided at these facilities towards prevention of parent to child transmission of HIV.

  • In A & N Islands, ANACS functions through 13 Stand alone ICTCs and 26 FICTCs.
  • Every Stand alone ICTC has 1 counsellor and 1 Lab Tech.
  • At FICTCs the testing is done by DHS staff. Society supports for HIV testing kits, PEP, QA, IEC material.
  • HIV testing is Free and confidential.
  • The site covers ANC testing, Voluntary and referred cases.

The HIV counselling and testing services (HCTS) includes the following components:

  • A. Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres (ICTC)
  • B. Prevention of Parent-To-Child Transmission of HIV (PPTCT)
  • C. HIV/Tuberculosis collaborative activities

A. INTEGRATED COUNSELLING & TESTING CENTRE (ICTC)

There are different types of HCTS facilities in India, which include Standalone ICTC (SA-ICTC), Mobile ICTC, Facility Integrated Counselling and Testing Centres (F-ICTCs), Public Private Partnership ICTCs (PPP ICTCs) and CBS for HIV including Village Health Nutrition Day (VHND). The terminology of ICTC becomes HCTS Centre after the release of National HCTS Guideline Dec 2016.

Services available at

INTEGRATED COUNSELLING & TESTING CENTER (ICTC)

  • Pre-test counselling
  • HIV testing after informed consent and sharing of test result
  • Post-test counselling & disclosure
  • Early infant diagnosis (EID)
  • Testing of sexual partner/spouse
  • Screening for Sexually Transmitted Disease/ Reproductive Tract Infection (STI/RTI), Tuberculosis (TB) and other co-infections
  • Linkages to care and treatment and other health services
  • Linkage to social welfare schemes
  • Outreach activity
  • Follow-up testing and counselling
  • Follow up of discordant couple
  • Act as a nodal point for coordination, supportive supervision, capacity building and supply chain management of all F-ICTCs
Services available at

FACILITY INTEGRATED COUNSELLING & TESTING CENTER (F-ICTC)

  • Pre-test counselling
  • HIV screening after informed consent
  • Screening for Sexually Transmitted Disease/ Reproductive Tract Infection (STI/RTI), Tuberculosis (TB) and other co-infections.
  • Post-test counselling
  • Linkages to SA-ICTC for confirmation
  • Diagnosis and care and treatment
  • Linkage to other health services

COMMUNITY BASED SCREENING (CBS) APPROACH REPORT 2020-21

Community Based Screening (CBS) of HIV, is an innovative testing strategy, is complementing the existing efforts put in by NACO in achieving its targets since 2018. It is important to look at alternative and innovative testing strategies to reach its first 90 target and in order to increase HIV positive identification in a cost effective manner.

Community Based Screening (CBS) is an important approach for improving early diagnosis, reaching first-time testers and people who seldom use clinical services, including men and adolescents in high prevalence settings and HRG populations. To improve HCTS access and coverage, community-based HIV screening is carried out through various approaches.

In A & N Islands, CBS started from the FY 2020-21. This outreach activity is conducted during the HIV & AIDS awareness programmes by ICTC Counsellor and Lab. Technicians in various rural and urban areas. Altogether 112 programmes were conducted through 11 ICTCs in which 1606 participants tested voluntarily.



B. PREVENTION OF PARENT-TO-CHILD TRANSMISSION OF HIV (PPTCT)

The PPTCT programme started in the country in the year 2002. The aim of the PPTCT programme is to offer HIV testing to every pregnant woman (universal coverage) in the country, so as to cover all estimated HIV positive pregnant women and eliminate transmission of HIV from mother-to-child. Universal HIV and Syphilis screening has now been made a part of routine antenatal care at all Primary Health Centres, Community Health Centres (CHCs) and also in other health care facilities for all ANC clients.

Antenatal clinic check-up (ANC) is one of the first steps in ensuring good health of the mother and child and appropriate steps are being taken by the government to increase ANC service utilisation and institutional delivery. Interventions to improve the screening and treatment coverage of pregnant women for both HIV and syphilis could reduce incidence of stillbirth and perinatal deaths, thereby facilitating advancement to the SDG Goal.



The Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme -SAATHII

Govt. of India is committed to eliminate mother to child transmission of HIV. EMTCT continues to be a priority area which requires focus so as to scale up screening all the pregnancies for HIV at all levels of health care. In order to achieve targets of 95-95-95 of EMTCT, every HIV positive pregnant woman is to be identified and put on ART in partnership with private sectors and health systems. To reach out to positive pregnant women and estimated HIV positive infants, the universe of annual pregnancies has to be screened.

While government and non-government agencies are keen on pulling out all stops to ensure that children are no longer born with HIV infection, lack of information pertaining to patients seeking treatment in private hospitals stands in the way. There are an undisclosed number seeking care in private hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes.

The Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme encompasses Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC) and Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission of HIV Centre (PPTCT) services in private hospitals. The programme aims for the Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission (EMTCT) of HIV and Syphilis.

PPP not only help in arriving at absolute figures, but also ensures that treatment is standardised and uniform for all patients. The programme advocates the importance of screening all pregnant women for HIV & Syphilis on their first visit to the gynaecologist. Women who test positive after voluntary testing in private hospitals are linked to the Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission Programme to ensure HIV is not transmitted to infants.

The PPP programme also makes testing easily accessible for persons who are reluctant to visit an ICTC centre. If a person tests positive in the preliminary test, he or she is referred to ICTC centres for confirmatory tests. This partnership helps to track persons reporting to private hospitals and ensures they continue treatment.

NACO has enlisted the National NGO Solidarity and Action Against the HIV Infection in India (SAATHII) for PPP services in Andaman & Nicobar Islands. SAATHII is a public health non-profit organization, focused on HIV, sexual health, reproductive health and human rights issues.

SAATHII has covered 19 private hospitals under the PPP programme out of which 16 PPP in South Andaman and 03 in North & Middle Andaman.

C. HIV/TB COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITIES

Address Co-morbidities of HIV infection to lower mortality and morbidity

The major co-morbidities are: (1) HIV-TB; (2) HIV – Hepatitis B/C and (3) HIV – Visceral Leishmaniasis.(VL). Among these, the most common is HIV-TB, which is also the leading cause for AIDS related mortality. People living with HIV and PWID are also vulnerable to both Hepatitis B and C.

The major co-morbidities are: (1) HIV-TB; (2) HIV – Hepatitis B/C and (3) HIV – Visceral Leishmaniasis.(VL). Among these, the most common is HIV-TB, which is also the leading cause for AIDS related mortality. People living with HIV and PWID are also vulnerable to both Hepatitis B and C.

District TB officer of 03 district of Andaman & Islands are nominated as District AIDS Control Officer (DACOs) for better implementation of HIV-TB Programme at district level as per the guidelines of GoI, MoH&FW. Chief Medical Officer of A & N Health Services Cadre have been designated as District TB Officer for monitoring, supervision and implementation of Revised National TB Control Programme. DTOs as DACOs as Nodal Point for HIV-TB Programme activities at district level.