The Testing and Counseling Center (NTA) reopened this Monday (22) at Plano Piloto Bus Station. The space traditionally offers tests for the detection of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), as well as counseling and delivery of condoms to the general population.
Among the tests offered at the Center are: detection of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Syphilis, Hepatitis B and C, HIV self-test and delivery of a collection kit to detect chlamydia and gonorrhea. In addition to these services, the vaccination and testing point for Covid-19 at the Plano Piloto Bus Station will also start operating in the new space.
Due to the two services that will be offered, the place will no longer be called just the Testing and Counseling Center (NTA) and will be called the Testing, Counseling and Immunization Unit (UTAI). The space caters to people aged 13 and over and will be open from Monday to Friday, from 8am to 12pm and from 1pm to 6pm.
The space had been closed since the end of last year to undergo renovations to the facilities. While the Center was closed, service was temporarily transferred to the Specialized Center for Infectious Diseases (Cedin), at W3 Sul. Even with the return of service at the Plano Piloto Bus Station, service will continue at Cedin.
The renovation was made possible through a building maintenance contract worth R$320,000, and among the changes made to the space are: creation of a space for routine vaccinations and medical counseling and testing offices; installation of a large reception and waiting room; acoustic insulation of the walls between the offices to guarantee the confidentiality of consultations and renovation of the vaccine storage location.
In 2023, the NTA carried out 53,504 procedures, including rapid tests and laboratory collections. For the Secretary of Health of the Federal District, Lucilene Florêncio, the return of the Center to the Bus Station should expand services even further: “The improvements impact on humanized and higher quality care, with individualized reception spaces, where people can receive results privately. We hope to expand the flow of healthcare assistance to the population, since the bus station is a place with a large number of people moving around. We are present – offering health – where the population is.”
