Re: NACP III: A proposal for public-private partnership to monitor HIV/AIDS

[Guest guest]

Dear Rajan Gupta,

Thanks for articulating the right parameters, to evaluate accurately the

effectiveness of the HIV/AIDS national management.

Mere estimates of HIV infections based on sentinel surveillance are at best

torch lights searching for whales in oceans. The findings leave us with more

questions than answers, more presumptions than understanding into the real

issues.

It's time that a national qualitative assessment is put in place. Most of your

categories should definitely be explored in such a worthwhile study.

I would merely add that any data thrown by the NGOs or any other agency for that

matter would be either subjective or accused of being subjective and hence would

lead us nowhere yet again.

But random sample surveys conducted separately for high-risk and general

populations, on a scientific basis for the whole nation, covering most of the

issues you have raised in terms understandable for the common man, is certainly

not an impossible task and would guide us year after year into the right path.

Let the Govt. take the lead and design a common study. It will never be the want

of NGOs or an independent reputable agency to implement the program for the

Govt. in each district as you have proposed on a time-framed manner every year.

The margin of error would certainly be broader than the blood samples study, but

they can be contained to an acceptable level, over a few years of attempt.

Thanks yet again for a commendable initiative.

E.Rajarethinam

E-mail: <gct@...>