18,000 PLHIVs left without any care and support

[Guest guest]

February 2010

Ms. K. Sujatha Rao

Secretary (Health) & Chairperson for CCM

Health & Family Welfare Dept

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare,

139-'A' Wing, Nirman Bhavan,

New Delhi

Dear Ms. Sujatha Rao,

Greetings from Freedom Foundation !

It is with deep concern & regret that I write to you about the closure of four

50-bedded Comprehensive Care & Support Center’s run by Freedom Foundation that

were receiving support under the GFATM Round IV through Population Foundation of

India.

These centers were established in the high prevalence districts of Guntur,

Kakinada(Andhra Pradesh), Bagalkot(Karnataka) & Trichy(Tamil Nadu).

Comprehensive services are being provided to both treatment naïve & treatment

experienced PLHIV. These centers work closely with their respective Government

ART units in terms of referring new PLHIV for treatment as well as following up

those already on treatment. These centers are also providing management for

various OI’s including palliative care along with a host of psychosocial

services.

Till date these centers have reached a cumulative total of >18000 PLHIV with

assorted services. Both the Government/District hospitals & other CCC’s in the

region refer most of these PLHIV. With the closure of these centers what happens

to the care & support needs of the registered PLHIV?

We are attaching a fact sheet of core outcomes achieved so far & the FF model

for your perusal.

The Foundation has made various appeals to the respective SACS for extending

support to continue this much needed services.

These centers will close on 31st March 2010 and in fact the exit strategies have

commenced. We appeal for an immediate & final reconsideration of the said

closure.

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely,

Dr. ASHOK K. RAU

Executive Trustee & CEO

--

Freedom Foundation

180 Hennur Cross, Bangalore - 43

Ph: 2544 0134/9766

Fax: 41616447

freedom_ho@...

Copies to :

1. Mr. Manohar Elavarthi, Vice-chairman – CCM, Board Member, Suraksha WRHCP

2. Mr. K Chandramouli, Secretary & Director General, NACO

3. Dr R.S Shukla, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare

4. Mr. Naved Masood, Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of

Health & Family Welfare

5. Ms. Aradhana Johri, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare

6. Mr. S.K Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment

7. Mr. Rajendra Mishra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Development of

Northeastern region

8. Mrs. Urvashi Sadhwani, Economic Adviser, Ministry of Tribal Affairs

9. Dr J.B Ekka, Mission Director, National Rural Health Mission (Assam)

10.Mr. G Mathivathan, Mission Director, National Rural Health Mission (Orissa)

11.Mr. Chanchal Kumar Tewary, Mission Director, National Rural Health Mission

(Uttar Pradesh)

12.Mr. Madhukar S Chaudhari, Mission Director, National Rural Health Mission

(Maharashtra)

13. Mr. Nilaya Mitash, Mission Director, National Rural Health Mission,

(Karnataka)

14. Dr. Ramesh Paranja pee, Director, National Aids Research Institute (NARI)

15. Dr. D Behera Lala Ram Sarup, Director, Institute of Tuberculosis and

Respiratory Diseases.

16. Dr. R.C Dhiman, Scientist F, National Institute of Medical Research

(NIMR)

17. Dr. Jayaprakash Muliyil, Professor and Head, Community Health

Department, Christian Medical College

18. Dr. Amita Shah, Research Professor, Gujarat Institute of Development

19. Dr. Panna Chaudhary, President, Indian Academy of Pediatrics

20. Mr. Matheou Director, India HIV/AIDS Alliance Country

21. Dr. Sai Subhasree Raghavan, President, SAATHII:: Solidarity and Action

Against the HIV Infection in

22. Mr. K , Director, SWISS EMMAUS LEPROSY RELIEF WORK – INDIA

23. Mr. Swami Shantatmananda, Secretary, Ramakrishna Mission

24. Father Varghese Mattamana, Director, Caritas India Executive

25. Mr. Subash Mendha purkar, Director, SUTRA

26. Mrs. Goparaju Rashmi Vasavya, Secretary, Mahila Mandali

27. Mrs. Daxa. V Patel, President, Gujarat State Network of People Living

with HIV/AIDS

28. Dr. Srinath S, Person affected by TB No Organisation person affected by

TB disease

29. Mr. Nirod Kumar Bhuan, Project Officer, LEPRA Society

30. Ms. Yashashree Gurjar, Chief General Manager & Head CSR Ballarpur

Industries Ltd (BILT)

31. Ms. Harshita Pande, Head-CSR, Apollo Tyres Limited

32. Mr. Sandeep Banerjee, MD & CEO, Accor Services Private Limited

33. Mr. Arun Paandhi, PROGRAMS MANAGER, Sir Ratan Tata Trust

34. Mrs. Sabina Bindra, Advisor and Task Team Leader, DFID-India

Human Development

35. Mrs. Kerry Pelzman, Director, USAID

36. Mr. Jerome Bonnafont, Ambassador, Embassy of France

37. Prof. Gilks, UNAIDS country coordinator, UNAIDS

38. Dr Salim.J Habayeb, WR (India), WHO

39. Mr. Patrice Coeur- Bizot, UNRC, UNDP

40. Mr. A.R. Nanda, Executive Directod, PFI

Dr.Ashok Rau

Executive Trustee/CEO

Freedom Foundation-India

(Centers of Excellence- Substance Abuse & HIV/AIDS)

Head Office: 180, Hennur Cross, Bangalore - 560043, India

Senior Research Fellow, TheTerry Sanford Institute of Public Health,Duke

University(USA)

Visiting Faculty, Yale University (USA)

Phone (O) +91 80 25440134, 25449766, 25430611, (Direct) 25443114

Fax (O) +91 80 25440134

email:freedom_ho@...