This was slogan of the final stage of the professional training named "Improving the system of voluntary pre- and post-test counseling and testing on HIV/AIDS in Ukrainian power department".

The event was held from 11 to 12 of the July, 2017 with the participation of 25 representatives of the sanitary-epidemiological and medical service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the National Guard of Ukraine in the Hotel Complex "Dzherelo" in Kyiv region.

It was 5th training sessions for the first half of 2017/ Thi trainig is become possible due to International Public Organization "International Institute of HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis" within the implementation of the DHAPP PEPFAR project.

The aim of the training was to improve the quality and effectiveness of testing and counseling in the Ukrainian power department and to improve the knowledge about implementation of program interventions using HIV testing and counseling.

During the exercises, the topics were covered: implementation of different models of testing and counseling in the ATO; Types of testing; Programmatic interventions with testing and counseling component; HIV testing procedures and so on.

The participants of the training analyzed the legislative framework of Ukraine as part of the system of voluntary pre- and post-test counseling and testing for HIV/AIDS. Thanked to organizers participans got an opportunity to work out the methods of diagnosis of HIV/AIDS using rapid tests. Also discussed and worked out the psychological aspect of pre- and post-test counseling and testing for HIV/AIDS.

As a result of the cooperation of IHO "International Institute of HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis" and the medical service of the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces of Ukraine a voluntary testing of servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine began in April of this year in the area of the anti-terrorist operation. This project was implemented for the purpose of early diagnosis of HIV / AIDS.

Testing is carried out by medical brigades of military mobile hospitals of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine including epidemiologists of mobile sanitary and epidemiological groups. The principles of willingly, confidentiality, and on request and anonymity are strictly adhered to when conducting testing. According to the Central Sanitary and Epidemiological Department of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, testing is positively perceived in the troops both among servicemen of the officer and military personnel of the military service under the contract. They understand the importance the importance of identifying their HIV status, and each soldier is made aware of the appropriateness and necessity of testing.

Effective cooperation and its positive results became possible thanks to the implementation of the DHAPP PEPFAR project (US President's Emergency Plan for HIV / AIDS Relief) in which the United States Government has allocated funding to fight HIV / AIDS. This decision was taken during consultations and discussions of country’s operational plans (COP 2017) on 2017 that took place in February in Washington.

Head of the Central Sanitary and Epidemiological Department of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Major of the Medical Service, Sergey Litovka, awarded with a gratitude colonel of the medical service of the United States of America Eliot Yakobz Perlman - Director of the International Organization "The International Institute of Problems of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis".  Eliot Yakobz Perlman was awarded for his significant personal contribution to the development of preventive medicine in Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

"Let the heart be filled with pride for the accomplishment, the desire for understanding, and your work will be the key to a happy future," says Major of the Medical Service, Sergey Litovka.

            The International HIV / AIDS and Tuberculosis Institute (IHATI) in cooperation with the Military Medical Service of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Sanitary Epidemiological Department (SES) of the MOD conducted the scientific conference "Prevention of Social Diseases (HIV / AIDS, TB) in the Armed Forces of Ukraine" in the conference hall of the Hotel Aleksandrovsk in Odessa, April 27-28, 2016.

        Maj S. Litovka the Head of the SES introduced the results of the quality analyses for the last two years of infectious diseases in the Army. The biggest problems are HCV infections, along with the spreading of HIV and HBV infections, which has increased more than ten times among the mobilized Reservists, especially in the ATO Zone. The ATO zone is deemed a high risk area for infections because of poor hygiene caused by unsafe health practices such as risky sexual contact without condoms, unsafe tattooing, drug use, etc..

        Also he thanked DHAPP and IHATI for their support:  condoms, information-ladened playing cards, and posters which were distributed nation-wide in a timely manner to the key military populations (especially in the ATO Zone). He and many other senior officers rated very highly the playing cards developed by IHATI, as the most useful informational materials, which led the MMD IHATI  to provide MMD with additional production run of at least 12,000 decks.            
        
 
         Another speaker the Chief of the Military Clinical Medical Center of the Southern Region (MMCC-S), Col Vesna informed the group that the MMCC-S, has a mobile clinic, which was inherited from the USSR, while old enough, it is still functional and is used for serving soldiers in garrisons.
         Also he expressed his readiness to provide that vehicle to the representatives of SES, who will be able to do field sanitation inspections along with other disease control measures: testing for infectious diseases using quick tests in the local garrisons and military units.  
   
       Program coordinator in IHATI Ms. Tatyana Bila presented Col (Retired) Eliot Pearlman’s idea about including military personnel as a key population at risk for HIV (Global Fund, UNAIDS). She explained that for the moment members of key populations include the following:   Commercial Sex Workers (CSW), IV Drug Users, Men having Sex with Men (MSM) and prisoners. If military personnel will be considered as a Key Population, then MMD may qualify to receive free medical supplies and equipment and may eventually be able to apply directly for international funding.