NGO spits fire at Goa State Aids Control SocietyBy 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)