Interior Health said in a media release that testing for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) just got easier for residents across the Interior Health (IH) region, now that On Demand testing is available at all IH laboratories.
In the release Thursday, IH said patients can visit any IH lab and get an HIV test without having to first visit their physician or nurse practitioner.
To peform this task, patients can fill out a lab requisition on their own and take it to the lab, ask the lab for the test to be done, or ask to have the test added to existing bloodwork being ordered IH said.
“Today, thanks to early diagnosis and advancements in treatment and care, HIV is a chronic, manageable condition,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health in the media release. “The first step is learning whether you have HIV, and that’s why I applaud Interior Health for making HIV testing more accessible for British Columbians.”
On Demand HIV testing began in Interior Health in 2016 with an innovative partnership with Valley Medical Laboratories in the Okanagan. Based on the success of that program, Interior Health is excited to now be expanding the service across the region.