Kerala PSH - a fact sheet

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Kerala PSH a fact sheet

The Partnership in Sexual Health (PSH) Programme

developed to address the HIV/AIDS issue among the

high-risk behaviour group has completed its fifth year

of implementation. The PSH programme is supported by

Department for International Development (DFID),

Governed by Health Department, Govt. of Kerala,

managed by Kerala State AIDS Control Society (KSACS),

facilitated by State Management Agency (SMA) and

implemented by NGOs.

So far 53 projects have been initiated in Kerala

covering all the districts. The projects are

implemented by the NGOs with a long-term plan and in

close association with the government health

institutions and other departments. Though the

projects are small in number the coverage is on the

wider side.

The five years collaborative and united efforts helped

the state to bring down the infection rate among the

HRB group. Some recent studies show that tremendous

changes have been taken place in the safe sex

practices among the group. As a sustainability

strategy all the projects are encouraged to establish

and maintain linkages with government institutions.

The department of health directly initiated advocacy

programmes with other departments to ensure the

support for the PSH programme.

The main reason for the progress of this programme is

the existing stakeholder relations and its management.

The DFID gives all the support to the Government to

run the programme. It hardly interferes into any of

the matters. The Health department, Govt. of Kerala

and KSACS provides need based resource support and

operational freedom to the SMA and NGOs. In the

project level there is a steering committee, which

consists of representatives of primary stakeholders,

doctors, police, advocates, CBO representatives and

local leaders. This committee approves the plan for

the year and whenever needed gives support to the

programme. In the state level there is steering

committee chaired by the Principal Secretary health

and represented by Health secretary, DFID, PD (KSACS),

key team members of KSACS, SMA and NGO partner

representatives and invitees.

It doesn’t mean that all the systems and processes are

perfect and foolproof. Since it is a partnership and

issue to address is sensitive and crucial, all the

partners in the programme share their feelings,

discuss their concerns and console their conflicts.

Working together is not an impossible thing. It

depends upon the issue, system and the leadership. And

in Kerala the leadership is very much concerned about

the issue and gives priority to the HIV/AIDS

programmes.

Satheesh Chandran

President, Partners Forum Kerala (PFK)

E-mail: <somasatheesh@...>

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