Ramadoss diagnoses NACO as visionless

December 1, 2005

Kounteya Sinha

[Thursday, December 01, 2005 01:57:20 am TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

NEW DELHI: India's National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) is now

under the scanner. Unhappy with its " slow pace of functioning " , the

health ministry has asked five renowned organisations — IIM-

Ahmedabad and Bangalore, Hopkins University, Tata Consultancy

Services and Mckinsey — to review and access India's premier AIDS

control agency.

Their report is expected to be ready in six months time. According

to health minister A Ramadoss, " NACO lacks visionaries. It also

lacks creativity. " That's why Ramadoss is planning to bring some

essential changes in NACO.

Speaking to TOI, Ramadoss said: " At present, NACO lacks

professionalism. That's why there is a need for its reassessment.

It also lacks visionaries, who can undertake programmes for our

benefit in the long run. Earlier, we had printed advertisements

looking for agencies which could review NACO.

But those who approached us weren't qualified enough to undertake a

comprehensive review of NACO at a micro-level, studying every

programme being undertaken in every part of the country.

Now, we have employed five best institutes of the world to do the

job for us. " The ministry is also unhappy with the public service

anti-AIDS messages that were commissioned by NACO.

" There has to be a reason why Rs 3,000 crore has been spent over the

past 15 years on AIDS and still there is so much misinformation and

lack of awareness. I am interested in more rural and youth-oriented

messages.

The messages will have to have immediate impact. In the next two

years, NACO will have more professional and creative officers, "

Ramadoss added on the eve of the World AIDS Day.

The ministry also admitted that it was running way behind target in

providing anti-AIDS drugs to patients.

Till November 30, only 15,000 people were given the anti-retroviral

drug. However, health secretary P Hota is confident that over one

lakh patients will get the drug by March 31, 2006.

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