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Lack of transparency, accountability obstacle to fighting HIV/AIDS

Experts say at seminar

Staff Correspondent
Experts at a seminar yesterday said it becomes a challenge to bring transparency and accountability in the institutions working with H1V/AIDS in the country as little progress is seen in last few years.
Though Bangladesh received $60 million from Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) for 2004-2012 to combat the disease and already $41 million has been spent, the progress is very insignificant, they said.
The experts said this at a seminar titled 'Keep the Promise of Universal Access by 2010' at Dhaka Reporters' Unity in the city.
Asian People's Alliance for Combating HIV and AIDS (APACHA) Bangladesh chapter organised the seminar as part of expressing its solidarity witli the Global AIDS Week of Action (18-24 May) 2008.
They further said if proper utilisation of the fund cannot be ensured, the country would face tremendous problem in combating the disease as the fund would be reduced from 2010 and by this time the number of HIV-infected people would increase much.
Still only 15 percent of the total HIV/Al DS patients have received anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment, whereas it could be made possible to provide treatment to 1076 patients easily from a portion of the fund received, said APACHA Bangladesh chapter convener Dr Halida Hanum Khondokar.
She said, “It becomes a challenge to bring transparency and accountability in the institutions working with AIDS."
If AIDS prevalence is seen more than 5 percent in any specific community in the country, it is considered as epidemic. In Bangladesh, the rate of HIV prevalence among the injective drug users (IDUs) is more titan 10 percent, which is a matter of great concern, she added.
The experts said even the media campaign is also vague and lacks information regarding AIDS.
Criticising the advertise titled 'Banchte hole jante hobe', they said the advertise does not give messages to common people on what should be known, how and where to get the information and what would be the measures regarding/UDS.
The 2008 UNGASS Country Progress Report that is prepared to present in the UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS from June 10-11 is a very weak
report and shows sluggish advancement in spite of receiving enough fund, they added.
“The government did not prepare the report. Rather it was prepared by a foreign consultant by spending a huge amount of money," said Prof Nazrul Islam of Department of Virology at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.
Criticising the Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCM), the speakers said in Bangladesh CCM is heavily dominated by government officials and also lacks monitoring and evaluation systems.
They recommended the government to improve participation of civil society and a transparent system to select the CCM members.
The recommendations include minutes to be provided to all CCM members, sub-groups to plan and establish transparent monitoring systems and distinct roles to avoid conflict of interests and mecha nisms to reflect Global Fund's participation principles.
APACHA Bangladesh chapter General Secretary Sakiul Millat Morshed and members Kamal Hossain and Tony Michael Gomes also spoke.