A Christmas Celebration was organised at Snehatheeram Rehabilitation Centre for People Living with HIV AIDS. As a part of this, a Health Awareness Programme cum Free Medical check-up was conducted by the SMIMS team. There were lots of singing, dancing and playing of games. Christmas cakes were distributed and we had lunch together in the afternoon. A group from YWCA, Trivandrum also attended. See more photos on the SMIMS website.

An awareness programme on healthy living was conducted on the 3rd of this month at Snehajyothi, Malaicode. The 6th semester MBBS students of SMIMS and the Dental Interns together presented more than 10 awarness items, including talks, demonstrations and skits. The audience were mothers of the children who avail services of the Snehajyothi Child Development Centre. The complete Photos can be seen on the SMIMS website.

World AIDS Day 2009 was comemmorated at SMIMS on the First of December. Free Medical check-up and Lunch for around 100 People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) was arranged in collaboration with Snehatheeram, an NGO working in the field of rehabilitation of PLHAs. There was also an awareness program at the lobby of the OP building, where videos related to HIV/AIDS was screened.

Attended World AIDS Day Comemmoration at Trivandrum on 29-11-2009, 4pm. This was arranged by the Mar Thomma Church. Vijayakumar, Minister of Law, Kerala Satae, who was the chief guest, is seen lighting the lamp.

A free Medical Examination and Treatment Camp was conducted at Kanjapuram, near Marthandam , on 28-11-2009. This was organised in association with Indian Redcross Society. More than 200 patients attented. There was also an awareness program on the 108 Free Ambulance Service.

This year it is planned to commemorate World AIDS Day at SMIMS in a different manner. Previous years it was either public meets or seminars. This year we are bringing in over 200 People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) from different parts of Kanyakumari District and giving them Free Medical Examination, Medicines and Lunch. This programme is being organised in collaboration with an NGO – Snehatheeram – that works in the field of Rehabilitation of PLHAs.

We also plan to address on of the major problems faced by PLHAs – that of Stigma and Discrimination – by conducting an awareness programme for the general public. It is because of the lack of awareness that people with HIV gets discriminated against and the scale of this is so huge that this is being referred to as the second pandemic. This issue can be addressed only by taking concrete measures to make people aware why HIV is not to be dreaded in normal social life.

Click the below Image to visit the Official World AIDS Day 2009 Website

Went to a Tribal Settlement Colony (Killikadu) to do the pilot study of the Tribal Health Project. Used the community jeep to go along with 5 MBBS students. Forester Nallasiva Moorthy accompanied us. Did the trial of the questionnaire in 6 households.