VOLUNTARY COUNSELLING AND TESTING SERVICES

The Project’s Voluntary and Counselling Testing Programme commenced in June 2002 and has been established through a partnership with the Solidarity Centre who are funding the programme as a demonstration model for the labour sector. Presently, there are 5 operational sites: Kwa Zulu Natal, Western Cape, Gauteng , Eastern Cape and the Central Region. The Regional Bargaining Council Primary Health Care clinics are used as a base from which to run the service in the Western Cape and Kwa Zulu Natal regions and we have stand alone sites in SACTWU Offices in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Central regions. The CDC counselling module which focuses on risk reduction is used to conduct the counselling and testing. This process takes approximately 1 hour.

The aim of the VCT Programme is to “Freeze the Epidemic” by stressing to those who test negative which is the majority the importance of staying negative.

• What Is Voluntary Counselling & Testing (VCT)?

V - Voluntary - meaning someone comes in for testing on their own free will (you are not forced to test)

C - Counselling - is an information sharing session during which the counsellor assists the client with a problem to identify and try to solve the problem.

T- Testing - This refers to the actual process of taking blood and giving a result.

• What Are Benefits?

• You can find out your status in a confidential way.
• If negative you can try and stay negative
• If positive :
• Try not to get re-infected
• Try to access affordable treatment

• VCT Procedure

• Members and dependants of SACTWU working either in the Clothing or Textile sector will phone the nurse directly to make an appointment

• The entire procedure which includes the pre and post test counselling and doing the test, will last for approximately one hour

• The test used is the Rapid Test which is a finger prick test

• The nurse writes all the relevant details and puts it into a file, which she locks in a steel cupboard in her office

• The nurse gives the client a coded number and then captures the relevant information on to a data capturing sheet issued by Head Office.

• This data sheet is sent to the Head Office on a monthly basis.

• VCT PARTNERSHIPS

In order to take the services to the members we have engaged in partnerships with companies to provide a confidential service onsite. The above protocol is still followed and the HIV results are not divulged to individual companies. This initiative has proven to be extremely successful and is a unique model.

If you are interested in providing testing in your company where you have SACTWU members, please contact our regional nurse. Contact details are available under contact us.