Re: Qualifications of HIV/AIDS consultants

[Guest guest]

I feel that this issue needs to be widely discussed

consensussed and eventually accepted by the employers

(read HR departments of international NGOs).

Not only the Health but the entire development sector

needs committed workers having missionary zeal more

than university degrees.

I personally experienced that committed and

experienced workers bring more community participation

and convergence resulting in better results than those

with only high university degrees.

Regards

Manish

Manish Mathur <mmathur_in@...>

_____________________________

Absolutely correct....experience, contact, interest, drive, committment,

dedication, empathy, kinship, devotion, leadership, caring, concern,

empowerment, trust...these are a few of the qualifications essential to

meaningful outcomes in HIV/AIDS

work.

R.Brinn

E-mail: global325@...

_____________________________

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

Conflict of " University Qualification vs Other Qualities " of a HIV consultant

is interesting.

I would like to discuss this topic based on qualitative and quantitative

aspects. When quantity looks into magnitude,volume of the outcome; quality

looks into its depth,solidity,density and ofcourse style & design . Both is

equally important depending on contexts.

I donot consider qualification is the criteria only for maximum qualitative or

quantitative output.It is of course related to indepth instincts , potential or

inclination of an individual which may be genetic or acquired.

But look into qualification which is only manifestation of your indepth. So it

is sharpening of your potentials that is already with in you. On the contrary ,

a man with vast indepth quality maynot even flourish , if not technically

skilled which he is expected to get from his university qualifications and

field level experiences. Agreed , these skills even can be achieved through

lessons not from university degrees.

Can a non medical person become ART consultant if he is not a doctor? Or , can

one prescribe ART if he is not registered by the medical council?

A social activist(may not be qualified from university) can become HIV

consultant to root out social taboo , stigma and social injustice towards AIDS

patients as a Social Scientist; he cannot become ART consultant.On the contrary

ART consultant can become both a social scientist and social activist because he

is knowledgable enough to enter into social dimensions as well.

Rgds,

Dr Arup

E-mail: <arup_dr@...>

[Guest guest]

Comments of Dr Arup's post -

I just want to say that I have worked as a social scientist for 30

years depending on vast hours of in service training coming into

welfare from engineering and accounting backgrounds and living and

working in blue collar industrial settings many years ago. I have

not had time to get a university degree but if I was persuaded to

do so I would favour criminology as a starting point.

Of course the University and other Councils of Social Service

involvement have informed my qualitative practice. I have also had

to work alongside many qualified professional exit students in my

community and as a commentary about their intuitive practice

skills I would have to say that most have been about as useful as

a bucket under a bull. Highly qualified and never having known a

day of want in their whole lives. Silver spoons in the mouth comes

to mind as I write.

Now they have the initials after their name but no practical

commitment to the people whose lives they are employed to serve.

One comment was made about physicians and pathologists which I

excluded from my comments because of the necessity for them to be

highly qualified for HIV medicine and that skill does not come

from their general practice or science degree training either.

As far as physicians being social scientists that is a pipe dream

and many would not be so inclined. The best practices in HIV

medicine have a whole host of allied staff including treatment

advocates, nurse managers, research staff, nutritionists,

psychologists, psychiatric services and social

workers/counsellors. All have to inform each other's practice and

patients who are well informed have much to contribute to the

management process as well.

Qualitative outcomes are usually achieved by diverse and well

integrated support services. One doctor cannot do it no matter how

well informed or qualified he or she might be.

Quantitative to me suggests efficiency in managing presenting

clients so that those that are experiencing difficulty with the

health see the doctor and everyone else is fast tracked to care

support and treatment initiatives which must of course include

adverse clinical reactions to their medicine. (Toxic side effects)

Most competent HIV physicians have gathered around them a

competent network or allied health care organisations and

efficiencies are apparent.

Of course some aspects like prescribing and ordering tests must

remain with the principal case manager which legislation entrusts

to medical doctors. I have no quarrel with that restriction but to

expect the doctor to manage personally each and every client is

farcical.

Extremely effective and efficient PLWHA organisations, mostly

involving coping patients, are well versed in maintaining service

standards. They regularly sit on churches AIDS committees as well

as dealing with hospital and patient comments and complaints.

Hospitals themselves are establishing Advisory Committees that are

illness focussed to inform Hospital Boards and it is not only

improving service outcomes but is also saving money. Pharmacists

are also very important consultants to the processes especially if

the patient is using complementary therapies because medical

doctors know very little about pharmacology.

Even Health Ministers are establishing Ministerial Advisory

Committees that inform Ministers directly on matters referred for

advice. Most of the Ministerial Advisory Committee members are +ve

to an infection or representative of a marginalised group such as

Intersex or IDU. Very few have university qualifications nor

should that be a prerequisite. Occasionally it helps to have

someone with legal skills if a process needs activating but most

useful are not generalist qualified lawyers but specifically

experienced para-lawyers with developed skills in patient advocacy

or welfare rights support.

I just felt that the issue of qualitative and quantitative care in

AIDS or HCV or TB or Malaria needs to have a much wider focus than

just depending on highly skilled and expensive tertiary graduates

apart from perhaps some of them being available as consultants or

sitting on the management Boards of the NGO. I realise of course

that there is a much higher preference and a much greater number

of highly qualified people coming out of your tertiary

institutions and they are expecting preference in selection to

reward their study efforts but this pandemic can't wait for these

people to translate their academic skills into practical outcomes

and proper direction of resources.

One of the interesting parallels is in accrediting and ordaining

Assembly of God Pastors. Of course they have a calling and they

embark on some theological training but they don't get ordained

until they have formed and successfully pastored a congregation.

I'm sure Dr Arup's comments don't conflict much with this

assessment but I am sure that management of ART medicine needs

more skills than just those of the Physician.

Geoffrey

E-mail: <gheaviside@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

Before we get into the definition of ART consultant,

let me differentiate between different disciplines. A

social activist is one tries bring about social change

by his acions, initiaves and enterprise. A social

scientist is one who has been trained how to study

social phenomenon or social behavior by following

rigorous research methodogy. I don't know what an ART

consultant is but I am guessing that it is a person

who has clinical background and knows the biochemistry

of the body. But knowing how a body works does not

give one the knoweldge to know how to study social

behavior. People having MD degrees and practicing

medicines are service providers but they have to learn

research methodologies before they engage in research

studies. I shudder at the thought of service

providers without any training an research methodology

heading clinical research studies without following

rigorous research methodologies and then advocating a

particular HIV drug.

Sathi Dasgupta.

E-mail: <sathi_dasgupta@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

I am in agreement with Dr. Arup but would disagree with him in the

statement that a doctor can be a social scientist and activist as well. In

reality some doctors can become social activists and scientists but most

cannot. Social activism requires a person to get into the flesh of another

and unfortunately the training that most doctors get make it impossible to

do so. If one looks at community work, it is ideally done by nurses not

doctors. There are exceptions but far and few between.

Sasi Kumar

E-mail: <sasi.kumar@...>