NGO spits fire at Goa State Aids Control Society

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NGO spits fire at Goa State Aids Control Society

By Preetu Nair

PANJIM: An NGO, working with people living with HIV/AIDS, has alleged that

people living with HIV/ AIDS are feeling discriminated, as very little budget is

provided to the drop-in-coping centres (DIC) for people living with HIV/AIDS,

even as the money is being wasted in printing “unnecessary” materials.

Demanding the removal of the present Project Director and two Deputy Directors

of Goa State AIDS Control Society (GSACS), accusing them of corruption, the NGO

-- Positive Lives Foundation (PLF- Goa) — in a press conference stated that they

would submit their charter of demands to the government soon. “If the government

fails to take action within a month, then we would sit on an indefinite hunger

strike,” threatened Jaffer Inamdar, Program Manager, PLF.

Incidentally, things went sour between GSACS and PLF, when PLF was allotted only

Rs 5 lakh for the year 2007-08, to run their DIC, a centre where people living

with HIV/AIDS gets together. A fact not denied by Inamdar. “We need to receive

more funds to help people living with HIV/AIDS, who have greater needs. They

need to have access to medicines, nutritional food, educational material to

understand HIV/AIDS better, economic and moral support as they are fighting a

life threatening illness,” said Inamdar.

Besides, they have demanded that the state government should make allocation of

funds for a new CD4 count machine at South Goa, issue a discount " Traveling

Identity Cards " to all individual without disclosing their identities, ensure

free of cost medicines for management of opportunistic infections (OI) to avail

at all talukas and ensure women's empowerment program and nutritional and

supplement for HIV positive women and children.

Squarely blaming GSACS for its lack of commitment towards people living with

HIV/AIDS, Inamdar alleged that there is only Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART)

centre at Goa Medical College which doesn’t have adequate sitting arrangement

or drinking water facility. “Doctors in the OPD’s at GMC are rude with a

positive person and don’t treat them properly,” added Inamdar.

FUNDS allocated as per NACO norms:Dr Kaur

Speaking to GT, an apparently shocked Dr Dilraj Kaur, Director, GSACS refuted

all charges made by PLF. She stated, “We are doing whatever is possible for

people living with HIV/AIDS. We have to spend money as per National AIDS Control

Organization’s (NACO) guidelines. Funds to be allocated component wise, either

to NGOs or to DIC, are first allocated by NACO and re-appropriation between

components is not permissible as per NACO guidelines”.

She stated that whatever funds have been allocated have been strictly in

adherence to the guidelines and instructions issued by NACO. “At the highest

level, the policy makers have allocated more funds for prevention of new HIV

infections and spread of awareness (that is through IEC related activities). The

allocation of funds for care, support and treatment are calculated based on the

number of people infected with HIV and living with AIDS and accordingly the

figures are disbursed to GSACS for further allocation of funds to the DIC. It is

understandable that since the number of people not infected with HIV is much

more than those infected, it is logical that the prevention effort and funds put

in to ensure that new infections are prevented, would definitely be much more.”

Making it clear that she understands the problems of people living with

HIV/AIDS, Dr Kaur said that she was the only Project Director to visit the DIC

programme run by PLF and interact with HIV positive persons. “We have always

taken up the issue of HIV positive persons and worked to find a solution to

their woes,” added Dr Kaur.

Sources at GSACS reveal that as per the annual action plan approved by NACO for

the year 2007-08, Goa would get Rs 569.91 lakhs. Of this, Rs 315.09 lakhs would

be spent to prevent new infection and only Rs 10.66 lakhs would be spend on

care, support and treatment. NACO has allotted Rs 10.66 lakhs to run the DIC,

which is a sub-component of care, support and treatment.

“With two NGO’s running DIC in Goa, the money is equally divided between them.

The above figure is a ceiling beyond which expenditure shouldn’t be incurred on

any activity,” revealed a source at GSACS.

Further, there is no allocation of fund for more ART centres or purchase of CD4

or CD8 machines.

Sources further reveal that the Project Director has already taken up the matter

of CD 4 count machine with the Health Minister and a file has already been put

up for procurement of machine from the state government funds.

(This article appeared in Gomantak Times,Panaji edition, Saturday, November

17,2007)

Venu Gopal <venugopal_2000@...>