skumar1's blog

Global Industry Analysts announces the release of a comprehensive global report on Tuberculosis (TB) Therapeutics markets. Global tuberculosis therapeutics market is expected to exceed US$846 million by 2015. Outbreak of TB-HIV co-infections, emergence of MDR- and XDR- TB strains, and widespread disease prevalence in high burden regions such as Africa and Asia, where case detection rates are critically low posing significant challenge for the control of this disease, all indicate high unmet needs in diagnosis and treatment. The scenario presents excellent commercial opportunity for existing as well as new companies in this marketplace.

While the World AIDS Campaign Keep The Promise Now! (see below) may be useful to remind G8 governments of their earlier pledges, the new campaign to create a currency transaction tax is probably much more effective. Click here for a post on an innovative idea

THE UN High Commissioner for Refugees has attacked as "discriminatory" Australia's policy of screening asylum-seekers for HIV. The regional office of the UN agency wants Australia to scrap its health requirement for refugees. "The present operation of the health requirement is discriminatory in effect and endangers a number of human rights norms," it says in a submission to a parliamentary inquiry into Australia's treatment of disabled migrants.

World Vision hires only Christians under its $250 million in US government foreign aid grants.
Obama promised to change that. So why hasn't he?

Can you believe this?: A top United Nations official says much of the Asia-Pacific region is nearing full treatment coverage for patients with HIV. But Prasada Rao warns access to remote regions in China and India, and disrupted AIDS programs in Pakistan and Afghanistan leave millions at risk. The departing head of the U.N. AIDS program in the Asia-Pacific region, Prasada Rao, says the region is within three years of "winning the battle" against the AIDS pandemic. Rao, who has led the U.N. AIDS program in the region for the past five years, says increased treatment coverage and intervention programs are turning the tide against AIDS.

The following article appeared in the latest Global Fund Observer (Issue 113), and has raised a number of concerns. The first of which is found in the second paragraph:
"In addition, three seats are allocated to representatives of organisations of persons living with the diseases, one for each disease. (The selection of the representatives of people living with the diseases was not included in this elections process. A separate elections process was used for the selection of the representative of persons living with HIV/AIDS. The representatives for the other two diseases appear to have been appointed by the CCM, based on recommendations from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.)

I would like to know why in the country with the highest number of people dying of TB, more TB patients than anywhere else, more ex-patients, more people with MDR and more people undiagnosed in the world - why aren't People with TB represented by someone who has/had the disease? The Global Fund recognized years ago the important principle of Greater Involvement of people with the diseases - yet the GF has just granted hundreds of million of USD to the National TB Program via a CCM where the beneficiaries have no voice or representation. Transparency is called for after reading : "appear to have been appointed by the CCM, based on recommendations from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare". What was the process and who is responsible for depriving people with TB the right to be represented by peers?

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
NEWS: Elections Held for Civil Society Representatives on India CCM

Earlier this year, the India CCM organised elections to fill the eight seats on the CCM allocated to civil society organisations (CSOs). This marked the first time that CSO representatives were elected to the India CCM. Some CSOs expressed concerns about some parts of the process.

This article describes the elections process and the outcome.

Is it time to ask Big Dollar Bill where his money stands on Rights and Responsibilities?

If you haven't seen this article on the news feed on the worldcarecouncil.org site, you should.
It's title is "How Bill Gates Blew $258 million in India's HIV Corridor", and it raises a packet of questions that have been churning up inside of many people in the communities for some time. Sadly, because Big Dollar Bill gives some organizations (the big ones) loads of money, no one questions the hand that feeds them.

Since Gates funding has a great influence on health in India, we should open some dialogue. It's needed.

The problems are interwoven and include a top-down wasting of funds, the fueling of corruption and the systematic absence of accountability or transparency. The more we learn about Gates, the more this is a growing concern. It is also the impact that Gates is having on Rights. Human Rights. Our Rights. Big Dollar Bill snuggles up with any government that will elevate Big Bill to demi-god status because of his funding and status.

For example, the Gates Foundation is actively snuggling up with the Chinese government and expanding its support of the government program in the country. We hear that at the same time Microsoft is helping the Gov't set up censorship systems. We know that if the Chinese embrace 'open source', than the days of dominance by Gates will draw to a close. So to keep profits up, Gates helps push rights down.

Read this article about Gates funding and I think you may agree that it is time to ask Bill what's up and why.

Taking the Pulse of India's Health is a National Consultation, run by civil society, for it's many members. As India is the world's largest 'democracy', and has more registered non-governmental organisations and private societies than any other country, it has the unique opportunity to create a system to gather the views of most of its population. Indian Civil Society, which is includes every individual in society, should have a mechanism for hearing and documenting the voices of its members.

Engaging its organisational networks and workplaces and mobilising its leaders allows for the Civil Society to come together for a mass consultation. Every organisation or individual can participate and have a say. This is very different from the small polls conducted by commissioned public relation agencies or research companies, who simply telephone a sample of a few hundred people and draw their 'national' conclusions. This civil society consultation is also different from elections, run by an authority to give personalities or political parties what is called a mandate to decide policies on all issues in the constituency's name, regardless of what small percentage of the public actually voted for them or think about specific concerns.

Differently, Taking the Pulse of India's Health is a process to reach out, to listen and to document the concerns and opinions of millions of Indians, independent of politics and electoral machines. It is a non-hierarchal, non-profit, non-governmental system of 'listening', and then acting together to draft health policy recommendations in the form of a Citizens' Charter for the Government to review, approve and then implement, in partnership with a broad-base of health consumers.

This is a very worthy project, and tremendously needed by the hundreds of millions of Indians who are living precariously on the edges of our society. This initiative has the opportunity to call out to them, to hear their voices, and to develop a platform so that their health needs, as defined by them, can be addressed. This might not only improve health provisions for some three quarters of a billion impoverished Indians, but save countless lives. Drawing these people on the edges of our society into the process will not be easy as there are many barriers, but if we, as caring fellow citizens, try our utmost we may make a substantial difference. Please send me further details and information on how I could help, beyond just saying this is a worthy project. Thank you for the good work. It is heartening to see others with similar concerns for our futures.
skumar.beta @gmail.com