Political leadership needed in the fight against AIDS
By FREDAH TAIMBARI of National Aids Council Secretariat
 OVER the years there has been much emphasis on strong political leadership and commitment towards the national response to HIV in Papua New Guinea.
While some provinces have yet to witness such political support at the provincial level, there are others that have progressed due to vibrant commitment from their political leaders in the provinces, one of them is the National Capital District.
A case study presented by Mr Isu Aluvula HIV Response Coordinator for NCD during the NSP Provincial Planning Workshop in Mt Hagen recently emphasized that political support from leaders in the nation’s capital has made NCD one of the provinces leading in the national response at the provincial level.
There are number of reasons for the strong political support in NCD. Firstly, the response in the province is guided by the NCD HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan which also outlines political commitment to the HIV response in the province.
“We use this document as evidence to remind our leaders of the commitment that was made to support the response at the provincial level,” Mr Aluvula said.
Another reason is frequent involvement of leaders by NCDPAC in any HIV programs or activities such as workshops, seminars, forums and others.
“We sensitized them by having them to be part of any occasion on HIV and AIDS and have them talk to the people during workshops, forums, and other important events,” the HRC stressed.
Furthermore, besides the leaders obligation to take the lead in the fight against HIV and AIDS, its their personal commitment that has driven them to fully commit their time and thus provide necessary resources in ensuring that HIV programs or activities are fully supported in NCD.
According to The 2007 Estimation Report on the HIV Epidemic in PNG the incidences of HIV as at December 2006 was 18 484 in which 61 percent of that is reported in NCD alone while the rest was accumulative total for other centers.
Given this scenario and with Port Moresby becoming a mini PNG, the NCD PAC and its stakeholders are exhausting all avenues in a bid to contain further spread of the virus in the nation’s capital.
Annual allocations from NCDC to support the response has been gradually increasing. In 2003 to 2004, NCDPAC received K50 000 from the Commission, that amount was doubled in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
In 2007, a sum of K200 000 was allocated to the PAC office and in 2008 under the leadership of Mr Parkop, another K100, 000 was committed all totaling to K300 000 to carry out HIV programs/activities in NCD.
Besides funding and other support, governor Parkop has also initiated a new concept called “ One Stop Shop” to ensure all Information, Education, Communication(IEC) materials on HIV and AIDS are available in all tucker shops and retailed outlets in NCD for people to easily access and utilize them for their own information.
“The idea is basically to minimize the spread of HIV and to reduce the prevalence rate in the city therefore we must corporate to make it happen,’’ the governor said during the launch of “One Stop Shop” initiative in April this year.
“If you want to get help on information on HIV and AIDS, the tucker shops are some of the avenues for you to get help from,’’ Governor Parkop added.
Minister for Community Development and Member for Moresby South Dame Carol Kidu has also done a lot in her electorate. Dame Carol has established the District AIDS Committees, and currently is working towards forming the youth, women, and the Faith Based Organizations HIV Committees.
Mr Aluvula’s presentation was purposely to encourage participants mainly other provincial HIV Response Coordinators to utilize as much as possible their provincial leaders to be part and partial of all HIV activities that are happening in the province.
“In our case, we have developed this relationship where we knock at the door of the governor and approach him for help and that’s how we’ve been able to get the highest political support in the province,’’ Mr Aluvula said.
Leaders such as Former Chairman of NCDC Sir Mekere Morauta, Minister for Community Development and Moresby South MP Dame Carol Kidu, Member for Moresby North East Andrew Mald and the current governor Powes Parkop should be commended more for their contributions towards the national response to HIV particularly in NCD.
The HIV and AIDS response in PNG is guided by the National Strategic Plan (NSP) 2006-2010. NSP Focus Area 5 highlights the need for political leadership in the fight against HIV and AIDS in PNG.
The plan states: “Leaders at all levels need to be encouraged to keep HIV high on the national agenda, take ownership of the issue and share information about the epidemic with their constituencies.”
Furthermore, it calls for the need to build the capacity of Provincial AIDS Committees in order for them to manage HIV programs and activities in the provinces.
Leadership, the theme for World AIDS Day theme in 2007 is also the focus of emphasis in 2008 by all sectors in the global response to HIV and AIDS.
For governments, policy makers and health authorities, the campaign is a challenge to ensure that the promise of universal access to treatment, care, support, and prevention is achieved by 2010.
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