The record holder among help providers is #HelpNowPL – 1268 requests. Social issues make up 44% of the total statistics, and access to ART – 29%.
You can find more detailed information in our infographic.
We are grateful for your chance to help and for your trust!
Maryna was born in Poltava and moved to Dnipro two years ago. In 2021, she got to know about her diagnosis (tuberculosis) and immediately registered to get treatment. The woman had a loving husband, a son, a job, and her own home. Before the full-scale invasion of Russia, life was calm and predictable, “like everyone else,” – says Maryna. But February 24, 2022, came and everything changed in an instant.
A week after the war, her husband insisted that she and the child go to Europe together. On March 6, the woman was at the border with Poland, where she spent almost a week – the number of people trying to leave during those days was off the charts. Finally, they reached Częstochowa, where they are today. Maryna had medicine for 2 months with her. As time passed, she managed to get the same treatment thanks to a transfer from Ukraine. But when the border was closed for the transportation of medical drugs, the woman began to look for the possibility of obtaining them in Poland. She called her doctor, who advised her to write to the HelpNow service.
“I am very glad that I found you – thanks to the contacts I have received, I am registered here, and every month I undergo all examinations and tests for free. I did not think that everything would be so simple and fast. Timely help is cool. Thank you!”
Istnieje kilka możliwości przenoszenia wirusa HIV:
• podczas stosunku seksualnego bez prezerwatywy;
• poprzez wspólne lub ponowne użycie strzykawek i igieł w przypadku zażywania narkotyków, manipulacji medycznych, piercingu i tatuaży;
· na dziecko od matki zakażonej wirusem HIV, w czasie ciąży, porodu i karmienia piersią.
Wbrew pogłoskom i obawom, HIV nie jest przenoszony przez:
• ugryzienia owadów;
• wspólne ręczniki i naczynia kuchenne;
• wspólne korzystanie z wanny, basenu, toalety, prysznica;
• pocałunki (jeśli nie ma silnego krwawienia z dziąseł).
Pamiętaj: większość objawów HIV i AIDS jest podobna do objawów innych chorób. Tylko na podstawie wyników testu na obecność wirusa HIV można ustalić, czy masz HIV w swoim organizmie.
Regularne testowanie na obecność wirusa HIV jest koniecznością dla każdego, kto prowadzi aktywne życie seksualne lub praktykuje ryzykowne zachowania.
Testy, które są tańsze wykrywają obecność przeciwciał przeciwko wirusowi we krwi i są wykonywane „metodą ekspresową” poprzez pobranie krwi z palca. Szybkie testy pozwalają przetestować się prawie w warunkach „polowych” i poznać wynik w ciągu 10-15 minut.
Inne testy, droższe i bardziej wiarygodne, wykonuje się poprzez pobranie krwi z żyły w placówce medycznej metodą ELISA – enzymatyczny test immunosorpcyjny. W takim przypadku na wynik należy poczekać 3-4 dni, ale dokładność tej metody jest znacznie wyższa niż w szybkich testach.
Jeśli podejrzewasz, że możesz być zarażony wirusem HIV, koniecznie zrób test!
Badanie wykonuje się w jednym z punktów konsultacyjno-diagnostycznych, których adresy znajdują się na stronie Narodowego Centrum AIDS w Polsce: https://aids.gov.pl/pkd/
W punktach konsultacyjno-diagnostycznych badania wykonywane są bez skierowania, anonimowo, bezpłatnie, przez profesjonalnie certyfikowanych konsultantów, którzy w przypadku potwierdzenia infekcji udzielą wsparcia, niezbędnych informacji oraz skierują do odpowiednich specjalistów.
OSTRZEŻENIE! W nagłych przypadkach zagrożenia zakażeniem wirusem HIV, takich jak gwałt, zranienie igłą niewiadomego pochodzenia lub inne zdarzenie, należy pamiętać o profilaktyce poekspozycyjnej (PEP). Należy jak najszybciej (najlepiej w ciągu 48 godzin od zdarzenia) skontaktować się ze szpitalem chorób zakaźnych, który prowadzi terapię antyretrowirusową. Leki stosowane w profilaktyce poekspozycyjnej są bezpłatne. Listę odpowiednich placówek medycznych w Polsce można znaleźć na: https://aids.gov.pl/co-robic/
Możesz zgłosić się o pomoc i dodatkowe pytania do naszego Polskiego hubu – HelpNowPl, które obecnie działa specjalnie dla obywateli Ukrainy z kluczowych społeczności, którzy zostali zmuszeni do opuszczenia swoich domów z powodu wojny i są obecnie w Polsce.
Jeśli potrzebujesz informacji na temat niezbędnego leczenia, badań, opieki medycznej, kwestii prawnych i socjalnych, usług tłumaczeniowych lub wsparcia socjalnego dla instytucji, pomocy psychologicznej:
Zadzwoń na nasze numery infolinii:
+48 539 652 831 Anna-Nadia
+48 786 640 460 Alina
+48 721 752 114 Vita
+48 571 850 855 Natalja
Napisz do nas w Telegramie https://t.me/+BSIMGdN3WT41MTVi
Konsultacja lekarza online https://help24.org.ua/uk/doctors/126
Jesteśmy gotowi udzielić Ci wsparcia informacyjnego i psychologicznego!
Dodatkowe i bardziej szczegółowe informacje znajdziesz na naszej stronie internetowej https://helpnow.aph.org.ua/
Alina (name changed) has been in Germany almost for a year. She left Mariupol on March 22, 2022, when it was real hell there. Her children left the city earlier and contact with them was lost for a while. Fortunately, everyone found themselves in Berdyansk. Then there was a long way: Zaporizhzhia, then Lviv, and then Europe.
Alina has tuberculosis, she has been receiving treatment at home since 2010, but when she fled Mariupol, she did not have any medicine. During the internal resettlement in Ukraine, the woman also did not have time to register anywhere. She says that when she got to a refugee camp in Germany and was asked about her illnesses and health, she was simply afraid to tell. “We didn’t know anything at all – where to make documents, what is needed, where to apply. Like blind kittens. I thought, won’t they deport me if they find out about the disease? That’s why she kept silent.”
But the medicine was needed, so she started looking for information everywhere she could. Acquaintances passed on the link to the HelpNow service Telegram, where Alina left an application. Then everything went quite quickly: she was given the contact of the nearest doctor, as well as an interpreter. The doctor immediately asked to pass all tests and fluorography. The results were quite fast, so without wasting time, she was prescribed free treatment. At first, they asked to come back in a month for a second appointment, then they extended the course for 3 months. Alina says that every time she was tested, everything was questioned in detail, and maximum attention was paid. “I was surprised at how responsible the doctors work. I was trivially late for one of the appointments – I was scheduled for 6, but I arrived almost at 7. The doctor accepted me without any complaints, although he had other patients at that time.
I also want to note the importance of documents – I didn’t have it with me, which made everything difficult at the very beginning. I contacted your service again and you helped me to renew my certificate from Ukraine. Literally in a couple of days! Recently, a doctor from Mariupol called and asked if I needed help or medicine, so I was happy to say that I already have everything I need. Thank you!”
It’s been quite a productive start to the year for the #HelpNow’s team, so we are happy to share some happy news with you.
In January, we reviewed more than 1,402 requests, including helping 599 people worldwide to access the proper therapy, 463 people received humanitarian aid.
More detailed statistics can be viewed in the infographic.
The active work continues in the hubs: the services available in #HelpNowDE were extended by the women’s support club “YOU+I” has been added, where representatives of key groups can stay in a warm circle and share their experiences.
Every week, #HelpNowPL shares useful tips from the project psychologist and discusses the importance of treatment.
We continue our work thanks to the support of AidsFonds in the framework of the project: “Providing emergency support to refugees from Ukraine and internally displaced persons among key population groups in Ukraine and other host countries – Emergency Response Project, HelpNow HUB”
Visit our website helpnow.aph.org.ua to learn more about all our services.
Thank you for the opportunity to help and for your trust!
The #HelpNow team has prepared a detailed report for 2022 describiing all challenges and achievements so that every Ukrainian knows that #HelpNow is nearby and always ready to help!
In the first days of March 2022, a week after russia started its full-scale aggression against Ukraine, the APH developed and launched a unique service to support PLHIV and KP, who encountered difficulties in accessing treatment and other necessary services. Leaving their homes and becoming internally displaced persons or refugees in other countries created an additional barrier to access to vital services and jeopardized adherence to treatment and life for such people. #HelpNow has made it easy to reach people in need using various methods. The Hub team can quickly inform these people and direct them to the service they need in their new (temporary) location.
For ten months, from March to December 2022, #HelpNowHUB received more than 15,800 requests from Ukrainians in 47 countries and within Ukraine, coordinating through # HelpNowPL, #HelpNowDE, #HelpNowClinicalHUB and direct social support.
More details in the report:
Oksana (name changed) is a social worker. She herself has been living with HIV+ status for almost 20 years, her son also belongs to the PLHIV community. For many years she worked by profession, first in Poltava in an NGO, then moved to Kyiv, then to Stryi (Lviv region). From there they left for Poland when the war started. Oksana said that they were at the border for 5 days because they fell into the first “wave” of refugees. The son was 17 years old at that time, so they were released together. The first two months were spent in Siedlce (Poland) with friends, but the therapy was ending, so the woman began to look for information on where to get it. “That’s how I saw your contacts on Google for the first time. The manager answered very quickly and gave all the addresses. I was also interested in the situation regarding receiving ART in Gdansk, because we were planning to move there. I also received this information thanks to the HelpNow service, for which I am very grateful!”
After moving, Oksana and her son promptly registered, underwent examinations, and received an appointment for therapy. Barriers began to appear gradually. First, with the boy’s employment (he had already turned 18 at that time). Due to his work schedule, he could not always come to receive ART when he was prescribed. So Oksana started sharing her medicine so that there would be no interruption. She was issued for three months, and she came after one. “The woman at the ART office was very surprised why I appeared at her door so early. This continued until I learned from friends that it is possible to make a commission in my name and receive money for it. It helped.”
The woman shares that if there are no problems in the case of getting ART, it is difficult with the medical system in general: “Maybe we are so “lucky” with the hospital, because I hear that in Warsaw or Krakow everything is accessible and fast. But here, even an appointment with a family doctor takes a month, and tests take three. If you know the Polish language, they make concessions, and if not, you wait until they appoint it. What can I add… In short, it’s better at home!”
When Natalya left her native Kyiv for vacation in mid-February 2022, she never thought that week would last…almost a year already. The woman was in Georgia and was supposed to return home on the 23rd, at night, when the war began. ART she had only for an incomplete month, so that’s what she stayed there with. She says that with the Ukrainian passport there were no problems in issuing therapy and taking tests, but it was like that until November. Currently, the conditions for Ukrainian refugees have changed in the country and now the monthly course costs 50 lari ($18).
Natalya moved to Turkey from Georgia, but did not stay there for long – the conditions for people living with HIV and who are not citizens are unfavourable: to be registered for free therapy, you need to have an ikamet (residence permit) and only 12 months after that you can submit a request for medication. Few people want to go that way. Yes, there are funds that help support vulnerable groups of the population, and even with them, everything is not easy: obtaining a certificate from a local doctor, traveling to one of the five points throughout the country where ART is given for free… Or visiting private clinics for money. Natalya decided to move and chose Norway.
“I contacted your service when I was in Turkey. Googled, found contacts, wrote. You gave me all the information I was interested in. HelpNow is a really fast service, no problems.”
Natalya approached the administration in the refugee hostel, showed the certificates that she had and the drug wrapper. “They asked me for how many days I still have ART, I clarified that it is for a week, no more. And before the New Year holidays, they brought me a 3-month supply of medicine. A visit to the infectious disease specialist was scheduled for January 18 as well. By the way, he works 500 km from my place of stay, so they bought me plane tickets there and back. Tests, visits and therapy are also free. Current medicine is paid for, but if a person has HIV, tuberculosis or hepatitis, the costs are covered by the state. Thank you again for helping your service to inform and provide such much-needed support, especially now.”
We are already used to the fact that the stories of people who turn to the HelpNow service are always filled with care and concern from the parties receiving them. Unfortunately, it happens that not everything goes as it should, and there is probably just no place for compassion and understanding in the hearts of individual people. However, we share this story with you, because every conversation is a reality that is happening here and now.
Meet Valeriya (name changed). She is a refugee from the Zaporizhia region, since March 17 she lives in Poland, not far from Szczecin. The woman already works, has health insurance, is completely self-sufficient – she says that she has been used to being independent since she was a child. She has been receiving ART therapy at home since 2010. When her doctor heard that Valeriya was going to leave, she immediately prescribed therapy for six months. “It is a great happiness that she managed to distribute the medicine to her patients. Now our home is an occupied territory, and it is very difficult to say how it could turn out in the other case.”
When the ART began to end, the woman started looking for opportunities to register abroad and receive official treatment. While browsing sites on the Internet, she came across an advertisement for the HelpNow service – she quickly left a request in Telegram and within a few hours Valeriya had the address of the nearest medical facility. It seemed that everything was fine – woman got ready for the appointment, arrived at the hospital early. But when it was her turn and she asked to issue a medical card, instead of a greeting, she heard from the receptionist: “What, did you find out yesterday that your therapy is ending?” The woman was unpleasantly impressed. “I was confused, I didn’t even understand right away, I started to make excuses – I said that I knew before, but I didn’t expect that I would be forced to live in another country for so long, because I had already planned to go home a long time ago.”
She was scheduled for an appointment two days later. According to Valeriya, the doctor was extremely attentive, made a detailed examination, prescribed research, prescribed ART for the next three months and asked her to go to the registry office again for a referral. The same woman was there. “As soon as I approached, I heard “Again” in my direction. It was humiliating, but I remained silent. But when I said that the doctor asked to give me a referral, her reaction was: “Everyone is here.” It was terrible, I cried all day at home. Thank you for your support and sympathy, I have decided for myself that I will not be silent anymore. I will have another appointment in February and will definitely inform my doctor and the management about it.”
For our part, we advise everyone not to be afraid, but to share information with us, contact the administration of the medical institution, demand a meeting with the chief doctor and defend your rights. No one has the right to discriminate against another. Remember this!
Serhiy (name changed) and his wife left for Slovakia 5 months ago. The couple is from Mykolaiv, the man has been registered at the local AIDS center since 2001 to receive therapy. They didn’t plan to leave Ukraine until the last minute, but when it became very “hot”, they were forced to leave their home.
Serhiy says that as soon as the doctor heard that the family was leaving, he immediately issued ART for three months. When couple arrived in Malatsky (Slovakia), they decided not to wait for time to pass, but to immediately look for a place to receive treatment in a foreign country. “At first, we called a doctor in Ukraine, but he could not help and said to turn to volunteers. The wife decided to “Google” at the same time and came across the HelpNow service.” – says Serhiy. “We used Telegram and already on the same day we had the contacts of the nearest medical institution from your team.”
The family was met there in a very friendly manner – the doctor listened, did an examination as well as a blood test. According to the man, it took no more than 30 minutes to complete the procedure at the clinic. As a result, therapy for 2 months was immediately available. “Everything was very coordinated there. But what impressed me the most was that the doctor greeted me by the hand, you don’t often see that in our country. Thank you, HelpNow, for your help and promptness. Be healthy!”
