Re: Where is GIPA in Kerala?

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

 

Ms.Bindu needs to be thanked for articulating her angst and concerns.

 

Until we share the same with sincere and like-minded people and

organiztions (with varying stands and perspectives we all are perfectly

justified to take and pursue) we will not be in position to partner and forge

very strong alliance which are needed to fight the humungous challenge.

We must see the intentions of the gestures even if they have not been able to

bring about the desired outcome in the initial stages.

 

In a national meeting of the GIPA coordinators we all agreed to the point that

even a tokenist participation may be the very first step towards a meanigful

partnerships with full synergy and earnest sincerity.

 

We all decided that :-

 

GIP coordinators must ensure for themselves and the PLHIV

Meaningful Roles,

Active Participation in and

Proactive facilitation of the entire continuum of activities for prevention,

care, support and treatment under all the components of the National AIDS

Control Programme-Phase III including (but not limited to):-

Prevention of new infection (TIs, ICTC,STD clinics, Blood Safety etc..)

Care, support and treatment (ART,OI, Psycho-social Support, legal support,

income generation programmes )

Surveillance, studies, Operations Research etc.

Monitoring and Evaluation/Strategic Information Management

Active contribution in Policy formulation/revision and all the planning

activities.

Zero tolerance for stigma and discrimination faced by the PLHIV and/or core

population

Facilitation of myriad activities in accordance with the NACO guidelines and

directives.

I would like to make to make a personal appeal to Bindu not to be disheartend by

any incident not in accordance with her expectations in the past.Most of us are

committed to the cause of the containment of dual epidemics and are working in

all fesible ways to ensure that at all quarters.We all are with you.

 

GIPA is there (though in very early infancy),GIPA is gaining momentum and GIPA

will definitely emerge stronger with the fullest support from ALL of us in the

letter and the spirit.

 

I am pretty cofident and optimistic about it.

 

Best wishes,

 

Rajesh Gopal.

Dr. Rajesh  Gopal,MD

Joint  Director,

Gujarat  State  AIDS  Control  Society (GSACS),

O/1 Block, New  Mental Hospital  Complex,

Meghaninagar,Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

PIN 380016 Phone (O) 079-22680211--12--13,22685210 Fax 079-22680214

e-mail: <dr_rajeshg@...>

[Guest guest]

Respected Forum Members

/message/10162

This is in response to the posting of Ms Bindhu from Kerala Positive Women

Network, dt 23rd April.

In her posting Ms Bindu has stated that she was invited for the meeting on the

previous day. The coordination committee of positive networks in Kerala happened

on 6th March 2009.

We had sent letters to the three major networks of Kerala, viz CPK+, NNP+ and

KPWN+ on Feb 28th 2009 . The letter can be accessed in the website of Kerala

SACS by clicking the link

http://www.ksacs.in/invitation.php

As a follow up measure, our GIPA Coordinator, Ms Anjana, called the Presidents

of these three networks – Mr ph Mathew, Mr Asok Nair and Ms Bindu –

respectively.

I remember the GIPA coordinator sharing her experience on talking to Ms Bindu

over phone. Ms Bindu had confirmed that she had received the letter but had

apparently spoken to our GIPA coordinator harshly. It is unfortunate to know now

that the letter reached KPWN+ only on the 5th and their representatives could

not attend the meeting while other networks could!

Ms Bindu’s comment that need and plan of the coordination committee was not

discussed with the networks is not true.  Along with the letter we had send the

concept note of coordination committee.  The meeting was called for discussing

the formation of such a committee and the minutes of the meeting, vide Agenda 1,

read as follows:  " Decided to formally constitute the coordination committee to

analyze the problems suffered by the marginalized PLHIV. The committee should

meet once in every three months.â€Â  It is evident that the issues raised by Ms

Bindu could not be communicated before the first meeting of the committee.

Even though the representation of KPWN+ was not there in the coordination

committee meeting, the committee discussed various proposals submitted by KPWN+.

Kerala SACS has involved positive networks and positive people in all possible

ways.  I don't want to enlist each and every activity here, but would like to

mention that along with Gujarat and West Bengal, Kerala was invited by NACO to

present the experiences of GIPA in the State, during the GIPA coordinators’

orientation programme.

The power point presentation about GIPA in Kerala is available on request.  This

will be soon made available in our site also.

 

I would like to underline that Kerala SACS believes in the concept of greater

involvement of people with HIV/AIDS and  in quality of the programmes and has

always insisted on sustainable interventions while financing or recommending 

HIV prevention programmes for implementation in the State. For example,  KPWN+

was assigned as the implementation agency for the Thejaswini campaign realized

by Kerala SACS.  KPWN+ remains the only network in Kerala, which was supported

for such a big campaign.  Of the various recommendations made by KPWN+ to

KSACS, some of them have been brought to the notice of various agencies

including the Government of Kerala.

KSACS is now doing a feasibility study to understand whether there is a need

of  DiCs exclusively for women in Kerala, based on one such request by the

group.   KPWN+ had also given a request to finance publication of a module

prepared by them for training WLHIV.  This module has been given for vetting by

experts.

In conclusion, KSACS wishes to underline the fact that there will not be any

compromise in quality , and assure all members that there will not be any

dilution in the concept of MIPA being implemented in the State.

With Regards

S. Ajai Kumar

Joint Director IEC

Kerala SACS

e-mail <ajai.ksacs@...>