Questioning Prevailing Paradigm in Public Health

The powerful contents of the seminar kept the participants glued to lively experience exchange. It took few enthusiastic minutes to overcome the absence of electronic mike in this logistically smaller but academically important WSF meet. Dr. Ritu Priya appeal to the participants to build up on the pre-circulated paper titled "Society Concerned and AIDS Control in India." The baton was to be carried forward from the Asia Social Forum meet conclusion of January 2003. The stress now was on the consciousness of collective responsibility towards individuals. She initiated the proceedings by requesting all concerned groups to preserve and melt their respective prospective in a single part. She felt that this exercise may help to look at Capital Care, Support, Treatment issues much more centrally. To enhance the sharing of experiences her proposal to split the session into two parts was welcomed. After the initial understanding of the Epidemic paper titled: "Recasting the Aids Discourse", the community level action for support and care were discussed.

The slide show projected by Dr. Robert Shell, Associate Professor from South Africa with statistical figure reflected the alarming elevation of AIDS. Dr. Shell's presentation dwelt in detail the anti-aids drug intervention experiences in South Africa and its short comings. He focused on the massive transition of AIDS from Africa spreading to entire India and China at a pace that is extremely difficult to control. While replying to the political motive behind HIV/AIDS movement, Dr. Shell exemplified Indian experiences as reported in Indian National papers. He figured out the only qualification of leaders is that those who can lead against AIDS are unfortunately out of political arena in Indian context. He further talked about initiatives of Dr. Robert Mogambe, Zimbabian model and political role models to promote AIDS awareness. The South African experiences of antenatal clinic clubbed with Life Insurance Policy including HIV positive test were positioned as preventive major at macro level.

Linsin Lengo from Kenya spoke about her experiences from the Keneyan content of HIV/AIDS and its identified pattern. She highlighted as to how the gender dimensions, gender disparity and unequal relationship are responsible for alarming increase in victimisation of African women. She skewed a demand and a need of cultural empowerment and social empowerment to arrest the spread of the Epidemic. A lively situation analysis of a community called "Nat-community" at Indo-Nepal Border was the focal point raised by Ruchita and Tinku from Apne Aap Women Worldwide. They put forward this typical situation were prostitution in almost 60 households had post the women breadwinners most vulnerable to HIV carrier. They submitted details about the absence of girl education and skills among women stopping them further from abandoning the profession of prostitution.

Looking at Health: Looking at Community Support System, they advocated community initiatives to look beyond poverty. They invited open discussions and concluded that only poverty was not a responsible driver of the situation. The only literate and graduate person named Md. Kalam was there sole source of information and intervention in that 'closed' community, otherwise unwilling to share.

Few Indian doctors and activists identified poorly designed intervention, poor national policy, badly governed programmes and corruption in Indian programme implementation as the regions for failures. The fagend of the seminar was echoed by the organisation of the sex workers from Pune called SAHELI. The representatives talked about unfair use in positioning women during the such trials as guinea pigs. Failure in excepting responsibility during trials and their anticipated effect was the biggest grievance of the victims. Sudden stopping of funds for another problems that lust social educator directionless. Marry D'Souza, President of SAHELI, concerns were loud and clear.

Stop using women for profit and as experimental gunny-pigs.

For Hindi click here

Copyleft. Any part of the content on this site can be used, reproduced, or distributed freely by anyone, anywhere and by any means. Acknowledgement is appreciated.

Designed and maintained by CAPITAL Creations, New Delhi. Phone 91-11-26194291