Ukraine
140 Ukrainian men and women employees took voluntary HIV test at their workplace
Employees of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, as well as of the State Labour Service (70 per cent women workers), including the Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Mr. Victor Ivankevych and the Head of the State Labour Service, Mr. Roman Chernega, underwent voluntarily HIV test at their workplace after an awareness raising event organized by the Ministry of Social Policy with the support from the International Labour Organization (ILO).
The ILO provided support to the organization of the event in Kiev on 6 April 2016 at the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, as well as at the State Labour Service on 7 April 2016 to promote and encourage men and women workers to undergo Voluntary and confidential HIV Counselling and Testing in their workplace (VCT@WORK Initiative).
VCT@WORK initiative was launched in June 2013 jointly by the ILO and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). It aims to ensure that workers know their HIV status and that those people who testing positive have referral services to access treatment, care and support if needed.
All participants of the two events received awareness-raising information on HIV and AIDS from a medical doctor working in Kyiv City’s AIDS Centre. The importance of taking HIV test was highlighted and the advantages to do it at your workplace. Larisa Savchuk, ILO National Focal point on HIV and AIDS in Ukraine, emphasized that: “Organizing voluntary HIV testing at workplaces is convenient for workers. It saves their time and costs, and lowers the barriers to taking the test“.
This resulted in 90 men and women workers at the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, including the Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Mr. Victor Ivankevych, underwent voluntary HIV test. One of the employees came with her daughter. All participants received promotional and information materials on HIV and AIDS developed by the ILO.
Next day, a similar event was organized in the State Labour Service where 50 men and women workers underwent voluntary HIV tests.
These events were follow-up of a previous VCT@WORK project in Ukraine which reached over 8,000 of workers in Cherkassy region by awareness-raising activities. 2,017 workers (577 men and 1,440 women) underwent voluntary counselling and HIV testing in their workplaces.
The VCT@WORK Initiative is particularly important for Ukraine with its fastest growing rates of new HIV infections in Europe. It also contributes to UNAIDS Fast Track response contained in its new Strategy for 2016-2021 to achieve the goal for the next five years of: 90 per cent of people know their HIV status; 90 per cent of those in need have access to sustained antiretroviral treatment; and 90 per cent of those on treatment have their viral loads reduced.
VCT@WORK initiative was launched in June 2013 jointly by the ILO and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). It aims to ensure that workers know their HIV status and that those people who testing positive have referral services to access treatment, care and support if needed.
All participants of the two events received awareness-raising information on HIV and AIDS from a medical doctor working in Kyiv City’s AIDS Centre. The importance of taking HIV test was highlighted and the advantages to do it at your workplace. Larisa Savchuk, ILO National Focal point on HIV and AIDS in Ukraine, emphasized that: “Organizing voluntary HIV testing at workplaces is convenient for workers. It saves their time and costs, and lowers the barriers to taking the test“.
This resulted in 90 men and women workers at the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, including the Deputy Minister of Social Policy, Mr. Victor Ivankevych, underwent voluntary HIV test. One of the employees came with her daughter. All participants received promotional and information materials on HIV and AIDS developed by the ILO.
Next day, a similar event was organized in the State Labour Service where 50 men and women workers underwent voluntary HIV tests.
These events were follow-up of a previous VCT@WORK project in Ukraine which reached over 8,000 of workers in Cherkassy region by awareness-raising activities. 2,017 workers (577 men and 1,440 women) underwent voluntary counselling and HIV testing in their workplaces.
The VCT@WORK Initiative is particularly important for Ukraine with its fastest growing rates of new HIV infections in Europe. It also contributes to UNAIDS Fast Track response contained in its new Strategy for 2016-2021 to achieve the goal for the next five years of: 90 per cent of people know their HIV status; 90 per cent of those in need have access to sustained antiretroviral treatment; and 90 per cent of those on treatment have their viral loads reduced.