IANS, Jul 22, 2010, 01.55pm IST
Article
WASHINGTON: HIV prevalence in India and South Asia is growing among sex workers and other high risk groups due to widespread failure to prevent stigmatising of people living with AIDS, according to a new report.
Despite prevention and other efforts to reduce high-risk behaviours such as unprotected sex, buying and selling of sex, and injecting drug use, HIV vulnerability and risk remain high, says the report by a team from the International Centre for Research on Women and the World Bank.
Stigmatising attitudes in the general population and discriminatory treatment by health providers and local officials, among others, intensify the marginalisation of vulnerable groups at highest risk, driving them further from the reach of health services and desperately needed prevention, treatment, care, and support services, it says.
Daily harassment and abuse also cause health problems and adversely affect mental health, thereby leading to depression, social isolation, and an array of adverse socio-economic outcomes related to HIV, says the report launched at the global AIDS summit in Vienna on Wednesday.
"Discrimination against people in these high-risk, marginalised groups is so strong that they feel their lives aren't worth protecting or prolonging which stops them from reaching out for the prevention, care, and prevention services they need to fight the disease," says Mariam Claeson, co-author and programme coordinator for the World Bank's South Asia region.
"We have been supporting efforts that tackle prejudice about HIV and AIDS at community and national levels and break down the walls of fear and suspicion that poison the lives of people with, or at high risk of acquiring, HIV and AIDS."
Approximately 2.3 million people suffer from HIV/AIDS in India. According to UNAIDS, there were around 33 million HIV positive people globally, while there were 2.7 million new infections and 2.0 million deaths from AIDS in 2007.
As a result of a World Bank led regional competition to find successful 'grass roots' anti-HIV discrimination programmes, 26 programmes in six countries were chosen for the Bank's 2008 South Asia Development Marketplace with grants totalling $1.4 million.
These grants seeded considerable innovation. Project approaches reflected enormous creativity, ranging from beauty pageants to restaurants run by sex workers, the report said.
The grants led to new alliances, such as those between 'panchayat' (local government) leaders and the Indian community organisation Lotus Integrated AIDS Awareness Sangam, it said.
They also led to some unlikely partnerships between sex workers, police, lawyers, and health workers. In Afghanistan, one project partnered with the government to support religious leaders to pass on anti-stigma messaging in their Friday prayers.
Read more: AIDS stigma drives HIV in India: World Bank study - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/AIDS-stigma-drives-HIV-in-India-World-Bank-study/articleshow/6200405.cms#ixzz127aVuq1J
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
India's health system has failed miserably: Survey
Sumitra Deb Roy, TNN, Sep 25, 2010, 03.25am IST
Read more: India's health system has failed miserably: Survey - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indias-health-system-has-failed-miserably-Survey/articleshow/6623424.cms#ixzz10WxuQBm2
MUMBAI: In the recent past, India has been resting on its medical laurels, but an international survey has revealed that the reality is an altogether different story. The country's healthcare system fails miserably in almost all parameters when compared to six developed and developing nations such as the US and UK, China, Brazil, and Singapore, reveals a newly released study. The most telling finding was that despite having 10.8 lakh beds—the second highest among all the countries surveyed—there is less than one bed for every 1,000 people.
The joint study was conducted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and HOSMAC, a hospital planning and management consultancy firm. The UK tops the bed-patient ratio parameter with 3.9 beds higher than WHO's norm of three beds per 1,000 people. India's burgeoning population, say industry experts, cannot be used as an excuse given that China has 40.63 lakh beds, and meets WHO's norms (see box).
The report stated that to achieve the desirable norm a minimum of one-lakh beds have to be added to the country's existing kitty over the next 30 years. "About two-third of these beds have to come up in rural areas to ensure an even development of health infrastructure," said director of FICCI Shobha Mishra Ghosh, adding that in some areas even the UAE and Brazil surpass India in providing medical care.
China has successfully managed to create an efficient healthcare system with an army of medical personnel.
In terms of manpower, our neighbour has three times the number of doctors working in India, and 1.22 crore nurses. India has only 13.72 lakh nurses.
According to industry watchers, policy-makers must acknowledge that in the healthcare expenditure pie, the government's share is only around 26%. "One suggestion is that the government should emphasize on primary and secondary healthcare facilities, while leaving tertiary centres to the private sector," she added.
It goes unsaid that the urban-rural divide has to be addressed. "The government has to provide lucrative incentives for private players to move to rural and semi-urban areas," said managing director of HOSMAC, Dr Vivek Desai.
The only silver lining in the study is that India holds the top position in the number of medical and nursing colleges—-303 and 3,904 respectively. But then, despite having less than half the number of medical colleges as compared to India, the United States has more doctors on its rolls. "There could be many possibilities, but brain drain could be one of the main reasons," said Desai. Statistics suggest that in 2008 nearly one-tenth of doctors in the UK were not British citizens, while the percentage stood at 26% in the US.
Read more: India's health system has failed miserably: Survey - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indias-health-system-has-failed-miserably-Survey/articleshow/6623424.cms#ixzz10WxlsyFA
Read more: India's health system has failed miserably: Survey - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indias-health-system-has-failed-miserably-Survey/articleshow/6623424.cms#ixzz10WxuQBm2
MUMBAI: In the recent past, India has been resting on its medical laurels, but an international survey has revealed that the reality is an altogether different story. The country's healthcare system fails miserably in almost all parameters when compared to six developed and developing nations such as the US and UK, China, Brazil, and Singapore, reveals a newly released study. The most telling finding was that despite having 10.8 lakh beds—the second highest among all the countries surveyed—there is less than one bed for every 1,000 people.
The joint study was conducted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and HOSMAC, a hospital planning and management consultancy firm. The UK tops the bed-patient ratio parameter with 3.9 beds higher than WHO's norm of three beds per 1,000 people. India's burgeoning population, say industry experts, cannot be used as an excuse given that China has 40.63 lakh beds, and meets WHO's norms (see box).
The report stated that to achieve the desirable norm a minimum of one-lakh beds have to be added to the country's existing kitty over the next 30 years. "About two-third of these beds have to come up in rural areas to ensure an even development of health infrastructure," said director of FICCI Shobha Mishra Ghosh, adding that in some areas even the UAE and Brazil surpass India in providing medical care.
China has successfully managed to create an efficient healthcare system with an army of medical personnel.
In terms of manpower, our neighbour has three times the number of doctors working in India, and 1.22 crore nurses. India has only 13.72 lakh nurses.
According to industry watchers, policy-makers must acknowledge that in the healthcare expenditure pie, the government's share is only around 26%. "One suggestion is that the government should emphasize on primary and secondary healthcare facilities, while leaving tertiary centres to the private sector," she added.
It goes unsaid that the urban-rural divide has to be addressed. "The government has to provide lucrative incentives for private players to move to rural and semi-urban areas," said managing director of HOSMAC, Dr Vivek Desai.
The only silver lining in the study is that India holds the top position in the number of medical and nursing colleges—-303 and 3,904 respectively. But then, despite having less than half the number of medical colleges as compared to India, the United States has more doctors on its rolls. "There could be many possibilities, but brain drain could be one of the main reasons," said Desai. Statistics suggest that in 2008 nearly one-tenth of doctors in the UK were not British citizens, while the percentage stood at 26% in the US.
Read more: India's health system has failed miserably: Survey - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indias-health-system-has-failed-miserably-Survey/articleshow/6623424.cms#ixzz10WxlsyFA
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