NACO ropes in target communities to implement, monitor programme

The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) is setting up resource groups involving members from six target communities to plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate phase 5 of the National AIDS Control Programme

The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) is setting up resource groups involving members from six target communities to plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate phase 5 of the National AIDS Control Programme.

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“The resource group will act like an advisory body to identify issues like stigma and discrimination that they face every day and ensure that they are addressed in the policies being formulated,” Dr Lokesh Gabhane, joint director of Maharashtra State AIDS Control Society (MSACS), said. “They will also provide technical inputs and give recommendations on the initiatives being taken by NACO.”

The target communities are female sex workers, men who have sex with men (MSM), hijras/transgender people, intravenous drug users, people with HIV, and youth. While the resource groups will be formed at state and district levels there will also be community champions whose responsibility is to ensure that all government schemes reach every beneficiary.

Each group will also include the project director of the state’s AIDS control society and any other special invitees that the members may deem suitable. The district-level group will be headed by the collector.

MSACS has already formed a state-level committee.

Calling this a welcome step, Anand Chandrani from Nagpur, who is representing the MSM community on the state group, said this would democratise the process of policy making. “It gives us direct access to the formulation and implementation of policies that would ultimately affect us as a community.”

He also said that pointing out and addressing the shortcomings in the policies before they become part of the programme, instead of criticising them later, is a powerful move.

“The policy needs to be updated to include areas like mental health and other triggering points so as to keep up with the times,” Sumeet Pawar, the youth representative on the committee, said. He is hopeful that the aim to eliminate HIV/AIDS can be achieved with more involvement of the communities and other stakeholders.