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Netlink - August 2004Netlink is the members’ email newsletter for the Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network (EPN). Netlink aims to help members keep in touch with what is going on in the Network. If you have any information to contribute or comments on the content, or if you would like to unsubscribe, subscribe or recommend someone to receive it, please contact info@epnetwork.org First thought: “Their joy was so great that they were extremely generous in their giving, even though they are very poor” II Corinthians 8:2
Re-train, re-unite, and re-commit In June, as part of programme activities, EPN carried out a survey of church leaders at the Heads of Denominations HIV/AIDS Summit, organized by the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC), 7–12th June in Nairobi, Kenya. EPN received 69 responses, in both English and French, from 21 different denominations across 28 African countries. The results indicate that people at all levels, from faith to medical responsibilities, need re-training; the church needs to re-unite its approaches throughout the entire hierarchy; and we need to re-commit, both theologically and financially, to dealing with HIV/AIDS as a manageable disease like any other. Summary results There is both welcome news and sad news in the results of this survey. There are clearly some examples of success that can inspire replication or adaptation in other churches. There are also, just as clearly, some churches that need to move forward. Should we be looking for 100% positive scores or is less than 100% acceptable? Given the enormous impact that churches have in their communities, whether through the pulpit or church health services, Africa cannot afford for one church, one member of the clergy, or one hospital to be getting it wrong. Respondents indicated that, of their church health services:
There is a need for more up-to-date information:
The welcome news is that 71% of respondents think that HIV/AIDS is NOT a punishment from God, with 80% believing that it is a disease like any other. However, 57% of respondents' churches don’t have a health insurance scheme for staff. Of the 90% of respondents who say their churches provide the clergy with HIV/AIDS information, only 28% provide anti-stigma materials.
Meeting report from Bangkok There were various meetings held in Bangkok in July, both leading up to and during the XVth International AIDS Conference. EPN was represented at three of them. This year, EPN also had a poster display in the main conference area for all to see, publicizing the results of the Heads of Denominations survey (see above). Partnership Forum (7–8th July) This was the first 'face-to-face' meeting of the Global Fund Partnership. The Partners group is a mandated part of the Global Fund (GF). It is made up of stakeholders and is expected to meet every two years. The discussion focused on the strengths and weaknesses of the GF and made recommendations for improvements. The Partners looked particularly at the GF Board’s proposed recommendations to thee countries and proposed that the GF Board revisit their decision to call them ‘recommendations’ and make some of them ‘requirements’. One example was that, as part of the strengthening of civil society participation in the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM), the CCM should be required to be composed of at least 40% civil society. There was also a strong call for technical assistance to strengthen civil society so that it can participate effectively in the CCM and be accountable to the constituency it represents. There were also calls to strengthen the CCM’s functioning, including monitoring and evaluation and the possibility of a secretariat that is independent of the government. Many of these recommendations were echoed by the session in the AIDS meeting that was organized by the Global Heath Council. The session looked at the GF, PEPFAR, and the World Bank as major funders for HIV/AIDS work. In this session, there was also a call for assured continuous and long-term funding for treatment and an allowance by funding agencies to allocate a percentage of the budget for management of programmes, i.e. the cost of doing business. Funding agencies should also allow thematic flexibility, for example, in treatment; and nutrition must also be considered as part of the programme. There was a special call for building relationships between civil society organizations and funding bodies, and for International NGOs to ‘work themselves out of job’ by building the capacity of local NGOs so that they are able to apply for funding themselves. Thus, mentoring programmes in a network need to be encouraged. The need to build and support a platform (such as the CCM) between civil society organizations and government to develop local ownership of programmes was seen as crucial. There is a Partners Forum electronic discussion where much of what was discussed can be found. For those wanting more details, please join the group by emailing join-PartnersGF@eforums.healthdev.org. A summary of the discussions around the Global Fund, prepared by Health & Development Networks Moderation Team, will be sent to members. Access for All: The faith community responding (9–10th July) This was an ecumenical gathering that prepared for the International AIDS Conference. Several workshops around HIV/AIDS were held and the EPN coordinator led two sessions of the workshop entitled "Building the Capacity of Faith-Based Organizations around Antiretroviral Treatment". The workshop was very well attended and some of the crucial questions and concerns for those waiting to start antiretroviral treatment (ART) included:
These are questions that members may also be struggling with. Please share your experiences and how you have tried to address them with us. The XV International AIDS Conference (11–16th July) This meeting brought together about 19,000 participants! ...And much was discussed! In terms of scaling up treatment, some of the issues raised included the acknowledgement that currently available treatments will have failed within the next 5 years.! The need for new drugs is therefore crucial. In making current treatments available, it was proposed that the major debate is how to make Paragraph 6 of the Doha Declaration permanent and implemented. Other obstacles discussed were the growing bilateral and regional free trade agreements (FTAs) such as TRIPS plus, NAFTA, CAFTA, etc. Suggested proposals for moving forward were the encouragement of domestic implementation of the Doha Declaration, with countries capable of immediate implementation leading the way and the principle of human rights providing the necessary moral force. It has also been proposed that the TRIPS amendments be revisited, post–Doha Paragraph 6, to encourage domestic pharmaceutical production and single compulsory licensing for importing countries. There was also fear that PEPFAR will undermine the Global Fund and the WHO prequalification programme. (PEPFAR will be a subject of discussion during the annual meeting of EPN members on 6th October 2004 in Moshi, Tanzania). It was an interesting but intensive time and there was much information shared. Unfortunately, it was no possible to divide oneself in order to attend all the interesting sessions. We hope EPN members will plan to attend such meetings in future and present their very practical experiences in dealing with funding programmes or the treatment of HIV/AIDS. EPN Board members visit CHANPHARM, Nigeria As part of EPN’s networking and support to members, three Board members and two secretariat staff visited CHAN and CHANPHARM in Nigeria in July. During the visit, discussions on PEPFAR and ARV prices were held with staff from CHAN, CHANPHARM, and MSF staff. Some common areas of interest and advocacy issues were identified. These included the need for better understanding of PEPFAR. It was proposed that EPN and MSF look at possibility of joining forces to advocate for increased access to ARVs, especially fixed dose combinations (FDCs) and newer drugs, such as paediatric preparations for HIV/AIDS treatment. CHANPHARM later reported that the discussion on PEPFAR had helped them in their meeting with potential supply system consortium partners. During the visit, the members also met Godwin Aja, the second CFP, and two new EPN members, that is to say, Mrs. Grace Ebuya Miner, representing Evangelical Churches of West Africa (ECWA) and Emmanuel Ogwuche, representing Our lady of Apostles Hospital. We hope to get to know them both better as we go forward. Baseline studies on treatment literacy in Kenya and Rwanda In-country work on Programme 3, including baseline studies on treatment literacy in Kenya and Rwanda, was undertaken through May to July. We will report on the findings as soon as possible. Dr. Molly Thomas Fellowship Access to medicines and its rational use is a priority for every health system. Unfortunately, health systems, especially those of developing countries, suffer from problems hampering easy access to medicines and its rational use. In the past, many individuals and groups who are passionate about and committed to this work have contributed significantly to correct the present system. However, we need more such leaders to continually work for this cause. The Christian Medical Association of India proposes to initiate a fellowship for young Indian medical, nursing, and pharmacy students to foster a passion and to help them to assume leadership roles as researchers, trainers, or activists on issues of rational use of medicines or access to medicines. This year-long fellowship will provide an opportunity for the selected candidates to be exposed to issues, mentored by a leading activist or researcher, and supported in implementing an innovative idea. This fellowship will be named after the late Dr. Molly Thomas, a noted academician and activist, who dedicated her life to this cause. If you wish to support this fellowship, or would like more details, please contact Jo Varghese at jvarghese@cmai.org. —end— ( categories: Netlink )
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