The Centre for Global Health Research, Meenakshi Academy of Higher Education and Research (MAHER), organized a 2-day online “HIV Testing and Counselling Training (HTCT) Certification Program” on 6th & 7th November 2025. The program was designed for professionals working in hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, and blood banks accredited or seeking accreditation by NABL (ISO 15189:2022) or NABH.
The training focused on NABL-112A/B guidelines, National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) protocols, the AIDS Bill 2017, occupational post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and the legal and ethical aspects of HIV testing.
A total of 50 professionals, including pathologists, microbiologists, medical officers, nurses, laboratory technicians, and social workers from across 11 Indian states, actively participated. Expert resource persons included Dr. Pachamuthu Balakrishnan (MAHER), Dr. V.H.T. Swamy, Dr. Srirama, and Ms. Chaithra Nair from Asha Kirana HIV Hospital and Research Centre, Mysuru, and Dr. Sree T. Sucharitha from Kairo Kinetics, Chennai.
The program successfully enhanced participants’ knowledge and skills in HIV testing, counselling, and ethical practice.
