Supporting HIV positive pregnant women

As part of its HIV/AIDS initiatives pharmaceutical giant Janssen launched ‘Connect for Life’ programme on World AIDS Day on Thursday. The comprehensive ‘Disease Management Programme’ is launched in partnership with Solidarity and Action Against The HIV Infection in India (SAATHII).

As part of the programme, Janssen will support the development of m-Maitri, an initiative to educate pregnant women on techniques to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission. Based on the stage of their pregnancy, women will receive tailored voice messages to their mobile phones offering general advice and support on pregnancy as well as specific information about being pregnant and while HIV positive.

“Through the programme’s support, we are looking to close some significant knowledge gaps that put many children at risk of being infected with HIV,” said Dr Randeep Gill, Disease Management Programmes Leader. “By connecting directly with mothers, the m-Maitri platform offers a discreet way to share potentially lifesaving information.

Through our partnership with SAATHII, we will work to ensure that accurate, up-to-date information is available and accessible to support these women throughout their pregnancy and beyond,” he said. The initiative will target the States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. “These two areas have high HIV burdens and see less than a quarter of women give birth in a health facility,” said Dr Gill.

Approximately 1,000 pregnant women with HIV will be engaged through a network of 200 private healthcare facilities and will be offered support for two years. Evidence-based health education materials will be provided to the women and to healthcare workers at the facilities. The programme will also enable easier and regular follow up with the women.

“Certain communities and states in India carry a high burden of HIV infections, with poorly linked care services and little education or support available for pregnant women,” said Dr L Ramakrishnan, Vice-President of SAATHII. “This vital partnership with Connect for Life initiative comes at a critical time, allowing us to improve the care journey for women living with HIV throughout their pregnancy,” he said.