E-DRUG: Can we document experiences with PEPFAR please? (8)
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[Original answer of 27th of Oct sent to wrong address; This is a reply to message (4) sent on 24 October; WB]
Elizabeth, you are partly right. The needs are so tremendous, the health
system is weak in so many countries, local experts are rare because of
limited education capacities, looking for better salaries in other
countries, working in UK, US etc, they are themselves infected, dying etc
etc. YES, that's true.
But that does not mean that nothing exists. That does not mean everything
has to come from abroad. And that does not mean: The decisions about what to
do have to come from abroad. That's our point: The local capacities have to
be identified, involved (and not only as "passengers" without driving the
bus) and strengthened. To deal with HIV/AIDS is different from an emergency
plan where everything has to be brought in immediately and after a little
period of time the situation will be stable again (what is not happening in
many cases) but the assistance will stop. HIV/AIDS is a lifetime issue and
solutions can only be developed if this sustainable issue is the main focus
and that means strengthening the existing local infrastructure. Otherwise we
will enter again colonial situations.
Albert Petersen
Chair of Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network (EPN)
DIFAEM - German Institute for Medical Mission
P.O.Box 1307
72003 Tuebingen
Fon: +49/7071/206-531
Fax: +49/7071/27-125
e-Mail: petersen.amh@difaem.de
www.difaem.de