PLUS

Latur school; we are winning!

July 2009 Network of Maharashtra People with HIV

In one of our biggest advocacy campaigns since the anti-quack rallies in 2005, the Latur network NLP+, NMP+ and other local NGOs seem to have won the battle to keep positive children integrated into a local school. Eight positive orphans had been given refuge in a local ashram in Hasegaon, Taluka Ausa, District Latur, and sent to the local school. But some parents objected, and withdrew their children from the Zillaha Parishad school in the village. The number of attendees fell to 48 children. However, after nearly a month of efforts to inform and sensitise the worried parents, the number of children attending is now up to 175 with more returning each day. There was outrage when Guardian Minister Diliprao Deshmukh first announced that he was considering a separate school for the positive children. The local school staff, Mr Dhulaj the Additional Collector, and Mr Mule the Tahsildar in the Ausa Taluk all supported the attempts to inform the parents who had withdrawn their children that this was not necessary. They needed to understand that HIV is not passed on in normal every day contact. There are many successful examples of schools where positive children live happily integrated, and where they mix freely and safely with other children. A separate school is not the answer since it merely perpetuates the ignorance of HIV and reinforces the stigma with which people with HIV are sometimes subjected. NMP+ sent Samarth Project Coordinator Pravin Salunke to Latur for 5 days to help NLP+ with their campaign. Gondia DLN arranged a meeting of local NGOs in solidarity with Latur district, and many other districts also lent their support.

Over one hundred positive people turned out at the State Public Hearing in Mumbai at the end of June. The hearing was arranged by NMP+ in association with the Indian Network for People Living with HIV (INP+), with funding by Family Health International (FHI/USAID). It was called to debate the need for 2nd line treatment. There is a big backlog of people waiting for the treatment. Project Director, MSACS, Ramesh Devkar, Dr Maulik Desai from MDACS, Dr Manisha Ghite from NARI (National Aids Research Institute), a lawyer, Kranti, from the Human Rights Law Network, and Dr Rekha Jain, from NACO answered questions from the floor. Mr Devkar promised that MSACS would be introducing ‘Alternate First Line’, a newer treatment that would be more suitable for most of the people awaiting second line. Second line drugs are very toxic and should be avoided as much as possible. He promised that MSACS would be working hard to introduce alternate first line within the next 2 to 3 months. Mr Devkar and Dr Jain confirmed that everyone should get a CD4 count every 6 months, free of charge, and to ask their ART centre for the test if they were due one. Mr Devkar also said that he would see that the practice of charging for viral load testing at JJ Hospital is stopped. Summing up, Mr Devkar said: 1. MSACS hoped to have the alternative first line treatment available and rolled out within 3 months 2. There was a need for better communications between MSACS and other government departments, NMP+, JJ Hospital, and NGOs working with positive people.

State public hearing; Alternate 1st line within

3 months

From left: Kranti (HRLN), NMP+ President Shivaji Barge, Rajesh Devkar (MSACS), Dr Rekha Jain (NACO), Dr Maulik Desai from MDACS, and Dr Manisha Ghite from NARI

Positive learning The Positive Living Centre in Beed arranged an educational support programme on 4th July with the support of INP+ and NMP+. Educational materials were distributed to 60 positive and affected children from the Beed district. Pictured below; chief guest, President of Nagar Parishad Dr. Bharatbhushan Kshirsager hands over a school bag to one of the children. Also shown are guest Rajesh Bamb and NBP+ President Shivaji Barge. They were helped by Manager Rajashree Hivreker and Social Worker Mahadev Dongare.

Workshop on Human rights and PLHIV

In June, 30 men and women from the Parbhani district attended a day’s workshop by the Human Rights Law Network. The workshop covered four points:

1) Basic information about HIV

2) The human rights of positive people

3) women’s rights

4) How to file a public interest litigation.

Two advocates from HRLN led the session. After the

session, Social Worker Sanju Kale reported that the

district now has a good supporter in HRLN who will

give free legal advice.

The positive people who attended know that they

have the same human rights as the general public.

There is much work to be done in supporting women

who have a hard fight to get their rights. The

attendees were also made familiar with government

services, and the various acts of law which affect

positive people.

NARI and NMP+;

sensitisation and

coordination

A meeting was held on the 14th July to develop rapport between the National AIDS Research Institute (NARI), the Positive Living Centre in Pune, and the CHAHA project, and to develop plans for better coordination in the future. Salim Shaikh and Dipti Ghone represented CHAHA. Other participants were: Rajani Bagul-Senior Counsellor of NARI Archana Gaikwad, NARI Counsellor S. Mehendale, Life Care Swapnil Sonawale, PLC Mahadev Tauti, PLC Shaila Gonte, Field Counsellor of PLC, and other PLC staff. The outcomes from the meeting were that

• the CHAHA team is now familiar with the Positive Living Center and National AIDS Research Institute.

• referral services of CHAHA are now better informed and will increase.

• A new life care support group will involve in CHAHA.

Below; Dipti Ghone gives information on CHAHA to the PLC and NARI

Above: The Parbhani workshop on Human Rights.

Please send pictures, contributions or suggestions for the newsletter to Vincent McDonald, Communications Adviser, at vjmcd@hotmail.co.uk , or to NMP+, 401-403 Ganga Prestige Arcade, Nana Peth, Laxmi Road, Pune 411002, e mail: nmpplus@gmail.com , phone: 020 – 26336084/87

Star of the month ���� Our star this month is Akola district level network,

the winner of the trophy (right) for quarter 17 for their excellent performance in all targets. But we couldn’t let the opportunity pass for another

chance to congratulate Latur on the school campaign

as well.

2nd line. Several of those who went to the State Public Hearing on 2nd line and spoke of their need of 2nd line have been accepted for treatment at JJ Hospital since the meeting. The National Doordarshan television station has been doing excellent work on publicising HIV information such as the 4 transmission routes over the last few months NMP+’s ‘3 musketeers’, Vinod Jambhale, Balaji Ubarhande, and Salim Shaikh, have taken a national advocacy training course by Alliance.

There was a major consultation on child policy in Mumbai on the 7th July. Those attending included the Project Director of MSACS, Mr Rajesh Devkar, and Dr Maulik Desai from MDACS. NMP+ arranged the consultation on behalf of the India HIV/AIDS Alliance. Padma Buggineni, Programme Manager (Policy) for Alliance wrote to NMP+ to thank the 3 organisers, and said: ‘we are now confident that we can take forward the advocacy work in a robust manner in Maharashtra.’

Child policy consultation News

The Thane network and Humsafar Trust organised a meeting with staff at the Thane Hospital following a series of incidents where positive people were treated with discrimination by hospital staff. The delegation was led by Vikas Kurne from the DLN, who spoke to Dr. Kulkarni, senior medical Officer of Thane Civil Hospital, and other senior medical staff. A number of speakers from the district and one from the Trust spoke of their personal experiences of discrimination. Doctors Hegde, Kulkarni and Hirani gave the meeting an assurance that this bad behaviour would not be repeated in the future.

Thane Civic Hospital agrees to improve

Below: The meeting between Thane DLN, Humsafar Trust, and doctors from Thane Civic Hospital