Women & Children's C.A.R.E. Center
Free Clinic in Namakkal, India
The C.A.R.E. (Concern for AIDS Research and Education) Center, founded by Professor N. M. Samuel, M.D., is a partner organization focused on providing care and treatment for persons infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. The primary program is running a free HIV and AIDS clinic for women and children. They come primarily from the lowest caste -- "dalit" or "untouchables" -- and face doubled stigma because of their caste and because of AIDS. The Clinic has operated thanks to generous donations and reaches about 1,400 patients each year. The Center for Health and Hope provides more than 75% of the operating budget.
Samuel is the former President of the AIDS Society for Asia and the Pacific. In addition to the Center for Health and Hope receiving quarterly reports regarding C.A.R.E.'s work, Dr. Messer, and other Center volunteers, visit annually. Messer's next visit to India will be in March of 2025. The Women and Children's Center has been cited by local Indian authorities as a model for reaching those who are living with HIV and AIDS. Competent and caring personnel work in a clean, safe and inclusive environment.
The clinic epitomizes the Center's mission of supporting and advocating for persons infected and affected by HIV and AIDS through programs of education, prevention, care, and treatment.
-
HIV positive persons are treated without regard to their ability to pay, but because they have a health need that must be addressed.
-
People coming to the clinic receive not just a diagnosis and medicine, but also education and counseling about how HIV is and is not transmitted.
-
Care is provided to children of HIV-positive parents; some of these children are HIV-positive, while others are not.
-
Pregnant mothers are treated so they do not transmit HIV to their new babies.
-
Follow-up care for patients includes home visits to make sure patients are taking their medicine.
-
Weekly nutritional supplements are provided to HIV-positive people who need more food if they are to successfully respond the powerful antiretroviral drugs.
In addition to meeting primary goal of serving women and children affected by HIV and AIDS, the clinic provides additional services as funds are available, namely:
-
Eye clinics, since people infected with HIV often discover dramatic changes in their eyesight, making it more difficult to work, read, and do ordinary tasks.
-
Providing extra help to people in need; such as a child who needs braces to be able to walk, and a woman who needs financial support to go to a specialist.
-
Supplying high-quality rice to affected families in addition to the nutritional supplements that HIV patients receive.
-
Offer extension medical services to an isolated "tribal" population in Koli Hills where medical treatment is limited.
The Women and Children's Center in Namakkal, India, addresses the needs of the most marginalized. The Center for Health and Hope supports this unique outreach to women and children. Needed are monthly gifts to support the operations of this Center which provides invaluable free medical care to persons suffering from HIV and AIDS.
