Charter of Recommendations to the Government of Goa.

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

Charter of Recommendations

Presented at the Mela – “Celebrating Life” At Azad Maidan, Panjim, Goa, on 28th

January 2006

While we, People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHAs), NGOs and friends are in the midst

of this Mela “Celebrating Life”, we would also like to take this opportunity to

present our recommendations to the Government of Goa.

The following recommendations have emerged from our collective experience and

our vision that all PLHAs should live with dignity, justice, freedom and the

right to self-determination.

1. Promoting High Standards of health care Services:

1. The State should provide for an Anti-Retroviral Therapy Centre in the south

Goa District.

2. The State should ensure provision of Voluntary Confidential

Counseling Centres (VCCC) at all sub districts (Talukas) hospitals and

Voluntary confidential Counselling and Testing Centres (VCCTC) in the talukas of

Bardez, Mormugao and Salcette, thereby ensuring increased access to

support services for those affected by HIV.

3. The State should have a Grievances Committee whereby those who have

been discriminated against, while accessing medical care and support or in whose

case confidentiality has been breached, can seek recourse to. This

will ensure that denial of health care; stigma & discrimination in all public

health sectors are suitably addressed.

4. The State should pass an appropriate amendment to the Goa Health Act that

would ensure mandatory counseling service at private and hospitals pathological

laboratories for HIV testing.

5. The State should ensure adequate provision of stocks of all Tuberculosis,

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) and Anti- Retroviral Therapy (ART)

drugs at the respective Public Health Centres (PHC).

6. The State should ensure that every STI Clinic should have full time,

trained and sensitized Medical Officers and other health care providers.

7. The state should provide Universal/Standard precaution kits to all

health care workers in the public health sector.

8. The State should ensure that the public health services, stock all drugs

as per the Essential Drug List recommendations of the World Health Organisaiton,

for free distribution to all patients irrespective of gender, caste, nationality

ethnicity, culture and religion.

II. Provision to ensure a Supportive & enabling Environment for PLHAs:

1. The State should ensure that the number of Care Homes for PLHAs ,

including children, is increased considerably, or that the capacity of the

existing care Homes be doubled.

2. We recommend for the greater involvement of PLHAs and NGO

representatives in the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and Executive

Committee of the Goa State AIDS Control Society (GSACS) as per the National AIDS

Control Organisation (NACO) guidelines.

3. The State should make provisions for mandatory pre-marital HIV

counseling at all Marriage registrar offices in Goa.

4. The State should ensure that a HIV/AIDS “Work-Place Policy” be

integrated in existing staff welfare /organizational administrative

policies for workers in all private and public sector establishments as

per the guidelines recommended by the International Labour Organisation

(ILO)

III. Special Provision for Orphans and Vulnerable Children:

1. The State should undertake all possible measures to ensure the protection,

survival development and liberty of all Orphans and Vulnerable children.

2. The state should provide adequate services to Orphans and Vulnerable

Children, both before and after birth and throughout the period of growth to

ensure that full, physical, mental and social development so that they can lead

a dignified life without stigma and discrimination.

3. The State should ensure that all the infected and affected children have a

right to education and health care (including ART)

(This charter of Recommendations has been adapted from the “Charter of demands

2005” which was prepared by the following organizations.

Community Resource foundation, Children’s Rights in Goa, Desterro Eves , FXB

India Society-Goa Branch, Hope Foundation , Humsafar Trust , Life Line

Foundation , Presentation Society , Rishta, saad Alashiro, sai Life care,

Positive Lives Foundation (PLF), & Positive People It was presented to the

Minister for Health , Govt. Of Goa, on world AIDS day-1st December 2005)

Jaffer Inamdar

POSITIVE LIVES FOUNDATION (PLF).

Correspondence Addrress:

H.No. 133, Behind Omer E-Masjid,

Near Gurudwara Road, Mangoor Hill,

Vasco - Da - Gama, Goa-403802, India

Email: plf@... /

poslivesfoundation@...