1. Advocacy for Individual Health Insurance Scheme for PLHIV:
The Health Insurance scheme of the Tamil Nadu government usually provided as family card of five lakh coverage. PWN+ wanted individual card for PLHIV as they need more healthcare services than others. PWN+ first approached Chief Secretary for individual cards with a coverage of Rs. 5 lahks. Chief Secretary Mr. Vijaykumar IAS asked PWN+ to have a meeting with the Project Director of the Health Insurance Department. Ms. Kousalya and Mr. Karunanidhi met the Deputy PD and explained the necessity of individual health insurance for PLHIV and requested to grant Rs.5 lakh coverage for each individual. The meeting was fruitful and around 30 people in Chennai received the individual health insurance coverage of 5 lakh under the government health insurance scheme.
2. Advocacy to revive Drop-In Center project in the state.
For the last one year, PWN+ along with other HIV-positive networks in the state continuously advocated for the revival of the Drop-in Center project exclusively for people living with HIV in the state. When the issue came in front of Chief Secretary, Vijayakumar IAS, he asked TANSACS to convene a consultative meeting. On 29th September 2019, TANSACS convened a state-level consultative meeting with the representatives of positive networks under the Chairmanship of Honorable Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Vijayabaskar. During the meeting, the PLHIV representatives requested for the most valuable demand of a drop-in center project with financial support from the state. During the NACO Phase II program, Drop-in Centers were implemented till 2013. It was the first referral point for ensuring PLHIV receive correct and consistent knowledge on treatment adherence and other health care services and was managed exclusively by people living with HIV. Based on the recommendations of the consultative meeting, TANSCAS requested the government to revive the project with 34 drop-in Centres in the state ( 3 in Chennai and 31 in district headquarters).On 10th February 2020, the government granted permission and orders issued for the establishment of 34 DICs under TANSACS and sanctioned a sum of Rs.2,41,06,000. It was a great achievement for the advocacy initiatives of PWN+.