Re: Discusison on NACP III: What did we learn from NACP II

[Guest guest]

Dear moderator,

That is a good start to the discussion.

Possibly the next question we need to ask and answer is what have we learnt by

the end of NACP II and how the learning should influence the design of NACP III.

Or one could get a little more ambitious and ask what we have learnt from

managing disease control programmes in the past, such as malaria, small pox, TB

and STDs and how this learning is relevant for AIDScontrol programme.

This may also help us understand how the HIV epidemic has developed, will

develop and how our response should adapt to it. For instance,

during NACP I the health system response was minimal and testing was anathema.

As we reach the end of NACP II bio-medical responses are a strong part of the

arsenal. This has enhanced the value of good

counselling and testing services and health care delivery mechanism.

If this is so the systemic aspects of NACP III will be very different from the

past, more like what has been built up in the TB programme than what we know was

done in NACP I and II. This will also

redefine strategies for the programme.

Hope to see discussions on the learning and the direction that NACP III should

take. This should lead to a framework based on which further details can be

discussed.

Rajeev Sadanandan

E-mail: <rajeev_sadanandan@...>