New & Free Hiv/std Testing Clinic In Bkk

[ChrisP]

FROM: Fridae.com Nov 2nd

A new anonymous clinic targeting Thai MSM which will provide free HIV and STI testing has opened in Bangkok. In Singapore, a gay web site has been banned while another fined. George Takei, Star Trek’s Mr Sulu has come out last week surprising fans around the world.

New anonymous and free HIV/STI clinic for Thai MSM in Bangkok

A new HIV/STI clinic targeting Thai men who have sex with men (MSM) has opened at the Bangkok Christian Hospital. It will provide free HIV and Sexually transmitted infections (STI) testing as well as HAV and HBV testing, HBV vaccine, syndromic evaluation for other sexually transmitted infections and CD4 count, TB evaluation and early HIV care and referral for antiretroviral and antimicrobacterial treatment for those who are HIV positive.

The Silom Community Clinic is open from Tuesday to Saturday 4 PM – 10 PM, Bangkok Christian Hospital, 3rd floor, Silom Road - targeting Thai men who have sex with men.

According to a spokesman, the Silom Community Clinic was established in response to the rapid increase of HIV infection among Bangkok MSM (from 17.3 per cent in 2003 to 28.3 per cent in 2005). The clinic would later be used as a base to evaluate biomedical and behavioural interventions to prevent HIV infection in MSM (e.g., prophylactic drugs, microbicide gels or HIV vaccines).

Despite targeting general Thai MSM – estimated to number about 300,000 in Bangkok – the clinic will also provide HIV and STI testing to women, transgenders, as well as foreigners. Following the initial consultation, the clinic might however refer female patients to a women’s clinic, straight male sex workers to a male clinic and foreigners to other centres to receive more specialised care such as having native speakers when foreigners require HIV voluntary counselling and testing.

In an enquiry by Fridae, the spokesman for the project said that all records will be kept confidentially as first-timers will be asked to create their identification code through a self-registration system (in Thai, with assistance in English).

The system will produce a card which the client holds and connects them to their information such as lab results and counselling notes. No personal identifiers such as names, ID or passport numbers are required for the registration process.