Government wasting Global fund in India

[Guest guest]

Dear Moderatror:

Another outcry in India media against unutilized funds of GFATM. It is criminal

to dispense grants to organizations that do not have capacity to utilize them,

although they prepare glossy projects!

XXXX

(I prefer to remain anonymous for personal reasons)

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Babus (government officials) sleeping over AIDS fund

Kishore Rathod, Mumbai

Times of India, December 4, 2004 (volume 5, issue 20)

Even as hundreds of HIV-positive patients are waiting for the next package of

retroviral drugs and crucial awareness campaigns are waiting to be kicked off, a

state government-run agency is sitting pretty on crores of rupees donated for

the purpose by the Geneva-based Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria. AIDS

Research and Control Centre (ARCON), the Maharashtra government agency, which

received the donation more than six months ago, is yet to utilize a single rupee

from the fund.

According to a social worker attached to an AIDS NGO, the Global Fund is routing

an amount of Rs. 65 crore through ARCON for the benefit of HIV patients and

implementation of the development projects. However, thanks to the bureaucratic

approach of the agency, the funds are just lying idle till now. “The problem is

that the process is dominated by planning and politics rather than being driven

by pragmatism and performance,” the social worker said, adding, “Probably the

babus (government officials) are still figuring out a way to divert some of the

funds to their “favorite projects,” hinting at under-the-table deals by the

ARCON officials.

Incidentally, the Global Fund has so far collected over $3 billion from 30 donor

countries and awarded grants to developing countries, including India.

India has so far received $130 million since 2002 but its track record of

managing these funds has been poor. “Neither is there transparency and

accountability, nor is there effective monitoring and feedback. This is a crime

in a situation where scarce resources should be used in the best possible way to

save lives,” he said.

However, the ARCON officials maintained that the claims are exaggerated. Said

Dr. D. N. Lanjewar, Deputy Director, ARCON. “Though Global Fund announced a

donation of Rs. 65 crore in February this year, only Rs.2.6 crore has been

disbursed till date, that too in August.” According to Lanjewar, being a

government agency, it is ARCON’s responsibility to identify proper partners in

execution of the plans and this process is time consuming.”It’s public private

partnership and lot of things have to be worked out before the funds are

released,” Lanjewar said.

[Guest guest]

Dear Moderator,

It is indeed very sad to know what media is publishing with global

fund project along with organisations attached to global fund.

ARCON is an organisation, which has always kept patients as highest

priorities in every situation.

These 2 articles in Times of India and Midday are absolutely

baseless and has mis-represented the facts. The articles state that

ARCON has received Rs. 60 Crores for HIV/AIDS, 6 months ago and due

to lack of commitment the Government is sitting over the funds.

This fact is completely mis-represented. The complete facts are

stated below.

(ARCON) AIDS Research Control Centre, located at Sir J J Hospital,

Mumbai, is an autonomous institute in collaboration with the

Government of Maharashtra and is functional since 1994. It was

announced the award, of the grant of $12 million from the Global

Fund for the Round II, Objective 3: " Upscaling of Anti-Retroviral

therapy through Public-Private Linkages " in partnership with 2 other

NGOs, YRG Care - Chennai and Freedom Foundation (Bangalore and

Hyderabad).

This fund is for 5 years and has several heads of expenditure. The

fund was announced in May 2003. However the Ministry of Health &

Family Welfare (MOHFW)-National AIDS Control organisation (NACO)

has signed an agreement for 2 years with the Global Fund in February

2004.

The first bolus of Rs.2.6 Crores of the fund finally was disbursed

to ARCON via National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), Ministry of

Health & Family Welfare (MOHFW), New Delhi) on the 10th of August

2004. The fund disbursal, is activity related, thus the next bolus

will be released to our organisation only after the first 2 quarters

of activities are completed.

ARCON is now into first two quarters of activities and are

processing the following tasks as approved by the Global fund and

NACO; ARCON infrastructure, human resources, Training of Trainers

(Physicians), designing the Socio-economic criteria of PLWHA, and

setting public-private linkages for testing and treatment.

Further the ARCON proposal to Global fund is not for complete free

treatment for PLWHA (People Living With HIV/AIDS). It's based on

the graduated cost recovery of ART drugs, i.e. poor get drugs for

free, while middle class pays 50%, upper middle class pays 75%, and

paying class pay 100% of the cost of drugs. Besides ARCON will

provide free CD4/CD8 for poor patients and subsidised tests for

others under the project.

Thus actual treatment on ART, at ARCON under the Global fund, based

on the graduated cost recovery model will start in the third

quarter.

Until then, patients accessing care and treatment at ARCON will get

only free consultation but will have to pay for their drugs and

tests.

Dear Moderator, many a times media tries to write issues which are

baseless without any background research, for publicity of their own

newspapers. We would be very happy if you could present the real facts, which we

have sent.

Director, ARCON

E-mail: <lanjewar@... >