the Times of India, 3 September 2014

KOLKATA: The Centre's decision to do away with the Departments of AIDS Control (DAC) as a separate wing and merge it with the health ministry has sparked apprehension among organisations that working on HIV/AIDS.

Community based organisations (CBOs) and other NGOs feel that such move will hamper the progress that has been made in the prevention and control of AIDS.

Early this August the Centre took the decision to wind down DAC that runs five-year Rs 14,295 crore National AIDs Control programme 4 (NACP-4) and merged it with the department of health and family welfare. The Centre felt that there was no more that need for a separate wing since the number of people affected with HIV had fallen by about half over the past one decade.

Though union health minister Harsh Vardhan had assured that there would be no change in the existing AIDS control programme and that move was only to redefine the structure, the decision has not gone down well with those working in the field.

"This is not the right time to close down NACO and integrate Target Intervention programs with Public Health Delivery System. There is absolute need for target intervention, specifically for sex-workers, MSMs (men having sex with men) and transgenders," said Smarajit Jana, chief advisor to Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee (DMSC).

Civil society leaders from West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar representing communities of drug users, male-to-female transgenders, MSMs, female sex workers (FSWs) and people living with HIV gathered in Kolkata for a civil society consultation.

"Even if the merger happens, it has to be in right process and community participation is needed. CBO involvement will not be negotiable because only they can mobilize the community and educate them about their health issues and rights." said Pawan Dhall, country director, SAATHII.

These organizations fear that any move to shrink organizational and budgetary support will lead to a reversal and upsurge of the epidemic among the vulnerable groups and beyond.

"The social taboo attached HIV/AIDS makes it important to be looked after separately," said Sonal Mehta from HIV/AIDS Alliance.

Those working in the field said that HIV/AIDS is not be treated like any other disease. According to them this recent move will only push back HIV positives and the vulnerable to the closet once again.

"If target intervention is shelved, the scenario can become scary again and all efforts we have put on so far will go waste," said Ranjita Sinha, secretary Association of Transgenders and Hijras in Bengal (ATHB).

Sumati Yengkhom, TNN

Source: the Times of India