What is the cost of the proposed Indian HIV/AIDS Bill?

[Guest guest]

What is the cost of the proposed Indian HIV/AIDS Bill?

The Civil society organizations taking lead in advocating for the

HIV/AIDS Bill should be congratulated as an HIV/AIDS law is essential

and timely.

However, it appears that, one of reason for the delay in implementing

the proposed law is the cost involved in implementing such a law.

Was there any costing analysis done on the cost of proposed Indian

HIV/AIDS Bill at all?,

What would be the capital investment and the recurring per annum cost

of this bill? Who will bear the cost of implementing this bill, will

this come from HIV/AIDS budget or from some other source? Will an

expensive HIV/AIDS stand alone bill distort the need for a

comprehensive Public Health Law? Will the implementation of this bill

take essential resources from prevention and treatment or the

ministry of law and Justice would underwrite this law?

Will the cost of compliance unduly influence any other HIV

prevention, care and treatment resource allocation decisions?

Any serious costing has ever been carried out before proposing an elaborate HIV

bureaucracy such as appointment of Health Ombudsman in each 612 districts,

district Authorities and the national HIV/AIDS Authority with related

Institutional Obligations.

Some of the proposed HIV bureaucracies are;

a) Appointment of Health Ombud. — (1) The Appropriate Government

shall, within 90 days of the commencement of this Act, appoint by

notification in the Official Gazette, one or more Health Ombuds for

each district to exercise the powers conferred upon and perform the

functions assigned, under this Act.

Office of HIV/AIDS Authority. — (1) The head office of the

National HIV/AIDS Authority shall be at Delhi and the National

HIV/AIDS Authority may establish offices at such other places in

India. (2) The head office of State, Union Territory and District

HIV/AIDS Authorities shall be at the State capital, Union Territory

capital and District headquarters respectively and such Authorities

may establish offices at other places in their jurisdiction as may be

deemed necessary.

Do we really need to develop such an elaborate HIV bureaucracy in the

name of an HIV/AIDS Law?

Any cost benefit analysis or gender impact analysis of the proposed

HIV law has ever been conducted? If not, the civil society

organizations taking lead in advocating for the HIV/AIDS Bill should

not delay such an analysis.

An HIV/AIDS law is essential and timely. But should it be such an

elaborate bureaucracy?

The author wish to remain anonyms