New Book: Strategic & Planning concepts for India's response to HIV/AIDS

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STRATEGIC & PLANNING CONCEPTS FOR INDIA'S RESPONSE TO HIV/AIDS

By Rajendra Jani

This book presents application of management science principles &

techniques in developing appropriate HIV response in India. It is

based on Indian experience though most of the concepts are

considerably broad based enough to be applied elsewhere too.

The book aims to enhance the overall effectiveness of HIV response in

India through a systemic application of strategic & planning

concepts. Significant numbers of the concepts/strategies/frameworks

articulated in the book have been applied wherever opportunities have

existed & the environment has been conducive. Some like strategic

planning framework are yet to be applied.

The book will be relevant & useful to all those interested in joining

the battle against HIV/AIDS. Policy influencers, decision makers &

project managers all will find something relevant in the book with

direct applicability. Thus, the book is targeted at donors, State

AIDS control societies, NGOs & all other stakeholders participating

in India's response to HIV.

HIV has now been acknowledged as a multi dimensional issue of the

society now, but application of management sciences principles has

remained less than desired. The book is a modest aim at filling this

gap.

HIV was articulated as one of the four major challenges facing India

currently in a recent India Conclave meet. With an estimate of four

million cases, HIV is unfolding as a complex socio-econo-legal-

ethical-management-medical phenomenon in India. India with its vast

population, wide canvass of differing cultures & languages, social

norms & taboos surrounding sexual health, make HIV a unique challenge

requiring holistic & multifaceted response.

There have been many advances and improvements in HIV prevention

efforts in India over the last decade. Many donors are participating

in a nation wide programme of AIDS Control (NACP-2), NACO has

decentralized the programme to various State & city AIDS Control

Societies. And yet, much more remains to be done.

" Targeted Interventions " is a major component for HIV prevention

consuming about 25-30% of the total budget for HIV prevention. It is

now very much recognized that NGOs & CBOs are an effective &

necessary interface between the Governments & target groups. At

present there are about 730 targeted interventions in India.

The book is divided in to three sections of concepts relevant at

national, state & project levels. In reality, some of this overlap

and the classification in to the three sections is mainly for ease of

presentation.

Section-A

Deals with concepts & frameworks useful & relevant for national level

planning & strategizing. There are two chapters here.

Chapter-1 provides a conceptual framework for developing a holistic &

multi faceted HIV response & pegs current efforts of India. It argues

for broadening current response spectrum of India.

Chapter-2 develops a strategic planning framework for planning,

priorating, mainstreaming & targeting optimal HIV response at

national level.

Section-B

Deals with concepts relevant at State level & comprises of four

chapters.

Chapter-3 presents an argument for broad mind intervention designs

for HIV/AIDS & presents several innovative design philosophies. The

suggested supplementary design methods facilitate mainstreaming,

sustainability & stigma reduction enabling rapid scale up of the HIV

response. Some of these methods suggested introduce elements of

sector level of planning.

Chpater-4 on operational planning of Targeted Intervention (TI) at

the State level presents a holistic framework. It introduces an under

emphasized dimension of programme level planning & introduces some

interesting concepts like sectoral analysis, project mix, cumulative

planning, planning for the entire programme horizon, etc. It argues

that such planning paradigm should replace current yearly budgeting &

allocation exercises at the State level. One important highlight of

the framework currently is conscious reorganization of programmatic

strategies, which has not been emphasized adequately currently.

Chapter-5 presents a conceptual framework for rapid learning &

capacity building at all levels. It is well known that one of the key

bottlenecks in India for rapid scale up is lack of existing

capacities at all levels. It argues that average retention &

application in traditionally designed training programmes is very

restricted. A conceptual framework for design, development &

production of training programmes is evolved based on concepts of

adult learning, programme learning and experiential learning. One of

the focuses of the framework is on learning in " emersion as well as

in situ " .

Chpater-6 identifies very many forms of partnerships for deepening

HIV response. It argues that we need to strengthen 3C (including

concepts, capacities & contacts) through multi tier, multi faceted &

multi dimensional partnerships. It argues for broad basing the

existing concept of project level partnerships.

Sections-C deals with concepts relevant at micro/project level.

Chapter-7 on TI project planning framework presents a concept of

project life cycle. It articulates that deepening of HIV response

will not be doing more of the same year after year but changes in

strategies, approaches & applications. It argues that single concept

of life cycle is a qualitative cum quantitative tool for planning TI,

monitoring, evaluation & documenting TI efforts. It argues for

developing such a paradigm for seeing at targeted intervention

projects.

Chpater-8 develops several generic strategies for project level scale

up. It argues that a project poses several scale-up opportunities &

careful & proactive planning of the same is essential. The framework

is of immediate relevance to the State attempting rapid scale up.

Most of the concepts/framework evolved are readily applicable with

moderate fine-tuning.

My efforts will be worthwhile if the policy influencers, decision

makers & implementers find these concepts meaningful and take it

further. The book is not meant to be prescriptive but aims at

creating a debate & beyond.

Obviously, a book of this nature can only provide a starting point &

not complete treatment of management science to HIV programmes. I

further would like to work on concepts of micro planning, project

management frameworks, various technical strategies, management

information system, knowledge management & governance in HIV, peer

system & learning etc. based on the response to this book & time

permitting. To that effect, this book is a means & not an end in

itself.

I dedicate this book to the people & institutions who have joined the

fight against HIV/AIDS in this country.

I will appreciate your feedback & thoughts.

Rajendra Jani

E-mail: rjani@...

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