Bangladesh's community clinics could be a model

Global leaders and activists in the fight against AIDS consider Bangladesh's community clinics as an opportunity and a possible model to reduce HIV infection as part of a global agenda to eliminate the virus by 2030.

There are some 11,000 community clinics at the grassroots level meant to provide maternal and neonatal, family planning and nutritional services and establish linkage with the medium and tertiary level hospitals.

Adopting a "Dhaka Declaration" on the closing day yesterday, the 12th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) said it recognises Bangladesh's community clinics as a model to provide services to reduce maternal mortality and "as an opportunity to reduce mother to child transmission of HIV as well".

The congress emphasised greater integration of HIV response with regular health systems, mainstreaming it in development programmes. It requested donors, governments and bi-lateral and multi-lateral organisations to invest adequately.

ICAAP acknowledged that resource generation for AIDS response should not be an exclusive responsibility of developing countries.

"Rather, it should be a global shared responsibility for which resources should be allocated based on the relative vulnerability of societies, rather than prevalence rates alone and accordingly cooperate for such resource generation," said Bangladesh's State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Zahid Maleque while presenting the Dhaka declaration.

The ministry and Partners in Population and Development organised the three-day event at International Convention City Bashundhara. Some 2,000 participants from across the globe attended.

According to World Health Organization, there were approximately 36.9 million people, including 2.6 million children, worldwide living with HIV/AIDS at the end of 2014. Besides, 34 million people died from AIDS-related causes so far, including 1.2 million in 2014.

Government statistics say Bangladesh has registered 3,674 cases of HIV infection since detection of the first case in 1989.

However, experts say the estimated number of people living with HIV is around 9,500, making Bangladesh a low-prevalence country.

However, existence of vulnerable communities such as sex workers and transgender people, of a large number of migrants and men having sex with men are still matters of concern.

Zahid said there exists a lack of technical capacities to predict, understand and combat the HIV epidemics in the Asia-Pacific region. He called upon relevant United Nations agencies and other international organisations to support the national and regional HIV responses.

He stressed on promoting health, dignity and human rights of key affected populations and engaging the communities in designing and implementing the programmes.

Addressing as chief guest, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said treatment of HIV patients was extremely important because everyone has the right to live with dignity and healthcare. He said the poor, if infected with HIV, become the worst victims.

"We want to eradicate poverty by 2024 and do the same in terms of AIDS," Muhith said.

Health Minister Mohammed Nasim said the Asia-Pacific region made significant progress in reducing infections and AIDS-related deaths, but there were still some pockets where the trend was slightly alarming, which requires immediate and focused intervention.

UNAIDS Representative Dr Salil Panakandan said, "Fighting AIDS is not a finished job. We need to work together to end the disease by 2030."

Health Secretary Syed Monjurul Islam also spoke.