Background: Hopers Foundation is a CBO, working for the IDU community since 2008. Hopers Foundation working with TANSACS since 2010. The TI has a target of 300 for a comprehensive program and 80 for OST. So far the TI has registered 243 IDU’s in the program and 65 IDU’s have been taken OST.

As we know Hepatitis ‘C’ is very common among IDUs and treatment cost is very expensive. IDU’s those who have registered with Hopers Foundation are very low-income group and do not have family support much.

As a program officer thought of doing something to IDU’s especially screening of Hepatitis “C” and treatment that could be free cost. In this regard, the program officer has got a link that Dr. S. P. Shanmugam Gastroenterologist Aayusha Hospital in Chennai who is willing to do HCV screening and further treatment. As program officer and the Project Manager of Hopers Foundation met Dr. S. P. Shanmugam one day and we explained to him about IDUs and the risk of HCV and HBsAG and requested support for screening and further treatment.

Dr. S. P. Shanmugam understood about IDU’s and made an arrangement of HCV screening, Genotype testing and further treatment for IDU at free cost. SRL did the HCV screening and genotype testing. HCV treatment is provided to IDU’s by Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Chennai through Tami Nadu Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme.

50 IDU’s screened for HCV, 29 IDU’s out of 50 detected HCV positive, 23 IDUs out of 29 tested for Genotype and viral load. 23 IDUs were eligible to go for further treatment. The only requirement is to go for treatment in Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme card, but none don’t have. Here Hopers Foundation staff played a vital role in getting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme Card for IDU’s. The TI staff worked with IDUs family to get support to apply for Health Insurance Scheme Card, and played a middle man role with Village administrative officer, and Collector office, Chennai.

Role of Hopers Foundation.

1. Established linkage with Dr. S. P. Shanmugam Aayusha Hospital, Chennai help of the Program Officer.

2. Collected Xerox copy of the Ration card and other required documents from the IDUs family.

3. Facilitated the IDUs to get a letter from the Village administrative officer of eligibility.

4. Collected letter from Village administrative officer stated that the person’s annual income is less than Rs. 72000/- and eligibility to apply for The Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme Card.

5. Facilitated the IDUs to submit the application of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme card at Collector Office, Chennai along with support document.

As a result of an effort, 4 IDU’s got the Tamilnadu Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme Card, and the 4 IDUs underwent HCV treatment successfully.