AHF Shares Concerns Over Alleged Corruption at NACO Projects

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AIDS Healthcare Foundation Shares World Bank, Global Fund Concerns

Over Alleged Corruption at India's NACO

Call on the Prime Minister to Restore the People's Faith in the

Government AIDS System

NEW DELHI (February 8, 2008)—AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and

AHF/India Cares today announced its strong support for a Global Fund

to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) call for an

independent inquiry into allegations made by the World Bank (WB)

concerning the second phase of National AIDS Control Programme (NACO)

projects implemented throughout India. The NACO projects and efforts

in question have been supported in part by these two international

donors.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation will also request that Dr. Manmohan Singh,

the honorable Prime Minister of India, and who is also the Chair of

National AIDS Council (NAC), the highest authority to address

HIV/AIDS in India, takes cognizance of these allegations and use his

influence to help weed out corruption at NACO in an effort to restore

faith in the government AIDS system, which has been failing the

people of India.

" Like the Global Fund, AHF is very concerned by the corruption

allegations made by the World Bank, which has greater ramifications

for future resource allocations in the fight against the epidemic in

India and globally, " said Dr. Chinkholal Thangsing, Chief, Asia

Pacific Bureau, AIDS Healthcare Foundation based in New Delhi.

Dr. Thangsing also expressed disappointment with the slow action by

the World Bank, stating, " Sadly the World Bank has remained a silent

spectator for all these years when similar corruption allegations

were first reported as early as 2005. "

He added, " The World Bank should invest in good governance and

greater involvement and participation of civil society organizations

in the government programs. This is crucial and would significantly

check and help fight corruption of all forms and at different levels

within the Indian healthcare system. "

" We were shocked and appalled at the manner in which the corruption

has surfaced in the NACO health programs meant to save lives of

millions. I worry that large donors such as the World Bank and the

Global Fund took too long to wake up to the rampant corruption within

NACO and the State AIDS Control Society (SACS) and will now be forced

to take action, " Terri Ford, AHF's Director of Global Advocacy,

currently deployed in India, expressing concern about the continued

corruption and the possible cut off of global funds to fight AIDS.

" The mother in need of treatment in India is going to be the one who

suffers from this corruption and its exposure—not the bureaucrats.

AHF encourages the abolition of inherent corruption, but we also are

here to advocate for clients and patients who need the services the

World Bank and the Global Fund support. It is time for zero tolerance

on corruption in HIV/AIDS care in India—something that is long over

due. "

http://www.aidshealth.org/nh/index.html