Re: The AIDS scare Whose interest does it serve?

[Guest guest]

re: The AIDS scare Whose interest does it serve?

The Editor, Moderator,

My name is Dr. Beckerman, I am a social scientist and consultant

interested in the HIV/AIDS issues facing India.

I have just completed an 18 months tour of India. I visited 14 states and 19

districts in the country, my focus was to study strategies of the various

state governments, the NGO sector, the private sector, and individual

innitiatives in the area of prevention, care and support.

A friend of mine has just forward me a mail from Forum about an

article in the Indian Express, which I am told is one of India's National Daily.

I request the author of (Dr. Indraneel Basu). to please not make reference in a

selective sense and to then justify statements, which are totally false and

misconstitute the actual scenario.

Some of the fundamental information is wrong, like NACO'S estimate which is 3.8

million to 4 million and not 1.75 (the article is full of wrong information) In

all fairness one does agree there are a few rotten apples but that is not to say

that India does not have a problem....which it does.

This would have been visible if the reporter had taken the trouble of checking

out facts on the ground level. rather than do a story on the computer with an

objectivity of writing a great " STORY " .

India is a huge, vast country of diversities so to as regards to issues

related to HIV/AIDS . As a concerned member of the global community, I am

always surprised at National media in India reporting on issues as a matter

of convenience from a " Northern " perspective. The same was true in a resent

cover story in India Today, which was carried by the moderator on 'AIDS INDIA'.

To validate my point I suggest that the concerned person or persons visit

some of the NGO'S that are doing wonderful work or visit incentives that

help us all see the gravity of the crisis on India's hand.

One organization that I visited was The Freedom Foundation's units at Ban

galore, Siruguppa, Mangalore, Bellary, Hyderbad and Chennai, all of which

have a full house of 50 beds each, apart from the hordes of people approaching

for OPD services. I have not come across such a great and noble

effort right across the country, (I have been traveling extensively along

the length and breath of the country in the last 18 months) the comprehensive

wide spread all-inclusive spectrum of activities from awareness to prevention to

care and support including huge programmes on PMTCT (they even have a major

Substance Abuse component) It is truly inspiring and commendable. The motivation

and dedication of its founder/Chief Operating Officer Mr. Ashok Rau is something

that has been inspiring for myself.

It is even more commendable that apart from a small budget from NACO (which is

for a ten bed facility and is very irregular)there are no other regular

donors/funders for any of the various activities.

As one of the senior staff (hiv+ve) said Freedom Foundation has been and is

a dream and initiative of Mr. Rau that is collectively shared by hundreds of

people involved with Freedom Foundation. It is in places such as these that

one is able to witness the true magnitude of the HIV/AIDS crises and the

challenges in brings along, but what is truly awesome and inspiring is the

way in which (Dr. Rau..he is a psychotherapist by profession) and his huge

team have addressed these challenges. The successes of The Freedom Foundation

have attracted other countries in approaching Dr. Rau for replicating the model

in their respective countries, so in a sense you have an expertise that is being

exported. I am sure it must be the largest HIV/AIDS support organization with

the widest array of services with multi sector dimension approaches in the

country. If I include the Substance Abuse (which also has a HIV/AIDS component)

sector of the Freedom Foundation then I have no doubts.

Regards

Beckerman

Email: david_beckerman@...