Re:Bill Gates Blew $258 million in India's HIV Corridor

[Guest guest]

Dear Editor,

Re: /message/10346

This made for really interesting reading as a lot of us have suspected

that there was a lot of money going down the drain as far as HIV was

concerned generally and with AVAHAN specifically.

Nevertheless as the leading discussion and news group on HIV in India we need

to hear the other side of the story too.

I hope someone from AVAHAN takes up the cause and shares their

perceptions with us.

Regards,

Lt Col (Dr) Anil Paranjape,Retd

Pune

e-mail: <anilvparanjape@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

Re: /message/10346

Is is not as easy to dismiss the effort put in by the team as down the

drain. There have been some successes and some limitations which we need to take

lesson from.

Targetting a high risk population is not an easy job, and we need to commend

tham for this.

This project seems to be costly to be upsacled, moreover most of the

projects lack sustainability and this one seems to be no exception.

We need to take lessons from the success and constraints rather than blame

Bill..and team.

--

Dr RK Sood

Rajesh Sood

drrksood@...

+91 9418064077, +91 9445157327

[Guest guest]

Dear FORUM,

Re: /message/10346

I am not surprised by the outcome of Avahan's strategies.

Public health is unlike the stock exchange which fluctuates to peak and bottom

every day. A multiple stimuli in the environment results into development of a

particular behaviour, therefore to induce a behaviour change also requires a

multiple stimuli approach which now very popularly known as , multisectoral

approach.

The investments in the public health (Health & Education) has to be planned for

long term specially in the context of developing countries like India.

Last twenty years experience of handling an infection like HIV has taught us a

lesson very clearly that HIV should be treated as one of the major indicator of

our totally ineffective primary health systems.

If we really want to see the control in HIV spread, then all the investments has

to be made at the primary health centres at our village levels. The moment the

Health and Educational systems are strengthened in the villages of India the

major high risk environments created in the cities will start to shrinking.

I wish that Mr. will be able to understand this aspect of public

health and at-least now navigate the Bill Gates Foundation funds to right

places.

If the staff of Avahan make their head offices in the village levels, they do

not need so much salaries to live in luxury and also they can see the ground

realities better and plan more realistic strategies….

Mr. please do not give up…. You still have chance to modify the

strategies….

Raj

Principal Advisor AIDS projects

Deep Griha Society

Pune

susan@...

(M) 09371007716