Link ART Centre

Link ART Centre (LAC) aims for easy accessibility of treatment services for People Living with HIV (PLHIV) by reducing the distance, cost, and waiting hours for Anti-retroviral Treatment (ART) and thereby increasing treatment adherence. They are linked to a Nodal ART centre.

Link ART Centre Plus (LAC Plus) is LAC which performs pre-ART management also. This will help to bridge the gap between Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC) and Care, Support & Treatment (CST) services. These patients shall be followed up at LAC plus till they become eligible for ART or are referred to the ART centre for any other reason.

In addition to the existing infrastructure of ICTC where LAC is being established, at least one additional room is required for the nurse provided by the institution, for record keeping and other LAC functions.

Only patients from the designated nodal ART centre shall be linked to the attached LAC/ LAC plus.

Patients satisfying all of the following conditions shall be linked out to Link ART centres:

1. PLHIV on ART for a minimum of six months at the nodal ART centre

2. Those who have exhibited an increase in CD4 count and clinical improvement after 6 months of initiating ART

3. Do not have any active OI

4. The patient is a resident of an area closer to the LAC than to the nodal ART centre

5. Those who are willing to be linked out and collect their ARV drugs from the LAC, once the above conditions are fulfilled

Copy of Link out/in format to be exchanged between nodal ART centre and LAC while linking out or linking in the patients and a soft copy of these are to be maintained by both nodal ART centre & LAC/ LAC plus in a separate folder.

LAC/ LAC plus shall not initiate/ modify ART in any patient at any time.

Resources

• Operational Guidelines for Link ART Centres and LAC PLUS, NACO, Department of AIDS Control, MoHFW, GoI, 2012.

Assessment