News

30.10.07

On October 30, 2007, the Irkutsk Oblast Administration held a meeting of its Regional Council under the Governor’s Office. It was chaired by Governor Tishanin. The Regional Council consists of Deputy Governors, Heads of the Municipal Administrations and Representatives from the Buryat Autonomy.

Among other things, the meeting was focused on cooperation between public authorities and civil society in HIV and drug use and spread prevention. This discussion was instigated with a roundtable dedicated to Partnership between Civil Society and Public Authorities in the Area of AIDS and Communicable Disease Prevention and Control on September 18, 2007. That event had been part of the Russian STOP-AIDS Car Marathon and attended by the Marathon organizers, representatives from the Federal Oversight Service for Consumer Rights Protections and Human Welfare and the Russian Health Care Foundation.

Inputs from former regional officials in the Roundtable discussion had made it particularly relevant for addressing coordination among public sector and civil society organisations, including such issues as additional funding for HIV and drug use prevention programs to be made available by local administrations.

During the Regional Council Meeting, Governor Tishanin encouraged all the Heads of the Municipal Districts to consider a possibility to cover all the costs of municipal HIV and drug use prevention programs from their local budgets, and to set up a participatory coordinating unit for HIV prevention and treatment in each municipal district.

25.10.07

Business and government leaders recognize that Russia has reached a critical point of the AIDS epidemic: now it is to choose between two options - to face an explosive rise in the AIDS incidence or to follow the example of international leaders in addressing public health issues.

Foreign experts estimate the Russian HIV rates to exceed those in any other G-8 country: currently, the total number of HIV-infected people is 1.2 million, and by the year 2010, it will be over 1.65 million unless the current situation is changed. Most of HIV-infected people say that the disease is spilling over the risk groups through heterosexual contacts to affect other population groups.

Healthy Society Means Healthy Economy was the motto of a forum convened by the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria (GBC) and the Transatlantic Partners against AIDS to give government and business leaders an opportunity to discuss public-private partnerships.

The meeting was focused on the establishment of public-private partnerships called to protect people from AIDS and TB in Russia.

It brought together prominent politicians, leaders of major international and national companies and NCOs. It was attended by: M. Grishankov, First Deputy Chair, Security Committee, State Duma, Member, Government Panel on HIV Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment, A. Konuzin, Director, Department of International Organisations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Richard Holbrooke, President and Director General, Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria (GBC), Jeorge Sampaio Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General. Among speakers at the Forum, there were representatives from international business community who shared their experience related to public-private partnerships.

The Forum was moderated by V. Pozner, President, Russian TV Academy.

24.10.07

On October 20, 2007, a concert of popular singers took place in Lipetsk under the Russian STOP-AIDS Car-Marathon. It included performances by Vlad Topalov, Yulia Chicherina, Lera Masskva, and Konets Filma and Parallel Groups.

The City of Lipetsk was the last stop before the final destination of the Russian STOP-AIDS Car Marathon arranged under the National Priority Health Project and supported by the Federal Oversight Service for Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare and the Russian Health Care Foundation.

The Russian STOP-AIDS Car Marathon started in Vladivostok, on September 1, 2007 and reached Lipetsk on October 2007. During the 45 days of the Marathon, its participants covered four Federal Districts of the Russian Federation, drove through fifteen Russian regions, and stopped in fifteen regional centres which are the largest cities in the Russian Federation.

During this period, activists and volunteers, Russian pop music stars and people living with HIV had meetings with local youth in schools, colleges and universities, as well as in prisons. The Marathon events included lectures, talks, and trainings in HIV prevention. In many of the cities, mass-scale anonymous testing for HIV was provided. Press-conferences were arranged by the Marathon organizers, and one of their participants was Alexey Lysenkov, a well-known TV journalist.

In all the regions visited by the Marathon, local administrations rendered support to hold roundtables to bring together representatives from all concerned ministries and agencies, civil society, people living with HIV, and local mass media.

The STOP AIDS Car Marathon is called to help containing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Russia through consolidated efforts of government, commercial and non-commercial entities to implement prevention programs.

22.10.07

The Press Service of the Altai Regional AIDS Centre reports that last Friday, Nikolay Cherepanov, Deputy Governor of the Altai Kray, chaired a regular meeting of the Regional Inter-Agency AIDS Prevention and Control Panel. The meeting discussed issues of treatment, medical and social care for HIV-infected ex-prisoners.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Directors of the Health and Drug Supply Department, and the Social Protection Department of the Altai Kray, the Department of the Federal Prison Service for the Altai Kray, the Department of the Federal Drug Trafficking Control Service for the Altai Kray, Directors of the Altai Kray AIDS and Communicable Disease Centre and the Altai Kray Narcology Centre, a representative from the regional centre of the Russian TV and Radio Network.

Over the whole period of HIV registration in the Altai Kray, 927 HIV-infected persons were identified among newly imprisoned people which corresponds to 19.3 % in the total number of notified HIV-infected cases in the region (for the year 2007, the respective numbers are 175 HIV cases or 20.4 %).
As regards the ways of HIV transmission, it was established at the moment of the patients’ arrival to the prison system, that the bulk of them had got infected through parenteral non-medical drug injection (98.1 %).

As of October 1, 2007, there are 557 HIV-infected inmates of the prisons in the Altai Kray. At present, 113 of these HIV-infected prisoners are in need of antiretroviral treatment (ARV drugs), with 74 of them receiving such treatment in prison health facilities, and 39 released from prison. Particularly strict control is exercised over the continuity of ARV treatment initiated in prison upon release of the prisoners. It is necessitated with the fact that cessation of ARV treatment leads to the development of resistant HIV forms which would make it much more difficult to select pharmaceuticals in future to attain needed treatment outcomes.

The panel affirms that the Altai Kray has been using an integrated inter-agency approach to provide access and stimulate adherence to antiretroviral therapy, and to reach the most vulnerable populations. Nevertheless, it introduces another set of additional measures to ensure adherence and motivate people living with HIV to continue treatment upon release from prison.

In 2007, the Altai Kray AIDS and Communicable Disease Centre received antiretroviral drugs worth of Rub 15 million from the Russian Health Care Foundation under the GF-financed Program: Promoting a Strategic Response to HIV/AIDS – Treatment and Care for Vulnerable Populations in the Russian Federation.

10.10.07

The STOP-AIDS Car Marathon arrived in Perm. The Marathon started in Vladivostok in early September, and has already visited Khabarovsk, Blagoveshchensk, Irkutsk, Tyumen, Kemerovo and other Russian cities. Its final destination is Moscow. The campaign is intended to cover fifteen regions with increasing HIV burdens. In Perm, the visit of specialists from Moscow will end with a gala-performance of Vlad Topalov and Yulia Chicherina on one of the largest squares of the city.

The Car Marathon was sponsored by the Russian Health Care Foundation representing in the Russian Federation the interests of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. Involvement of this international organisation in combating the epidemic in the region is not confined to such campaigns. The Global Fund provides financial resources for HIV treatment and supports non-commercial organisations engaged in HIV prevention.

The visit of the Car Marathon to the Perm Kray will include training events, meetings, voluntary testing and counselling to be provided by specialists from Moscow and local specialists. Apart from mass-scale events, business meetings are held. On the day before, a roundtable on Partnership between Civil Society and Public Authorities in the Area of AIDS and Communicable Disease Prevention and Control was held to bring together representatives from various entities involved in containing the HIV epidemic to discuss serious issues.

In 2007, as many as 703 new HIV infection cases were recorded in the region, and the total number of people living with HIV here exceeds 7,500. The population of the Perm Kray is 3 million people. Certainly, the Perm Kray looks rather safe, compared with more seriously affected regions such as the Samara Oblast which has about 30,000 recorded HIV infection cases. However, even physicians from the Regional AIDS Centre keep on insisting that the HIV situation remains tense.

These data were worded by Kamil Khafizov, Chief Physician of the Regional AIDS Centre. “The inclusion of the Perm Kray in the route of the Car Marathon is very relevant and important for us. The share of young people is great in the region. Perm is fairly called a city of universities. And, it is necessary to keep young people aware of AIDS”, says Shamil Biktayev, Deputy Minister of Health of the Perm Kray. His concern is justified. According to P. Luzin, Deputy Chief Physician of the Regional AIDS Centre, over half of HIV-infected people are younger than 30 years old.

03.10.07

On October 3, 2007, trainers participating the Russian STOP-AIDS Car Marathon arrived in Yekaterinburg which is the eleventh city visited by this unprecedented Russian Car Marathon.

Almost right upon arrival, the volunteers went to special secondary schools. During the three days to follow, they will inform students about HIV transmission ways, the need to take care of their health and protection practices. Training seminars for specialists will be delivered by I. Pchelin, Chairman of the Shaghi Charity Foundation who arrived in Yekaterinburg from Moscow.

In the afternoon, the Sverdlovsk Oblast Administration hosted a roundtable dedicated to Partnership between Civil Society and Public Authorities in the Area of AIDS and Communicable Disease Prevention and Control. The regional government demonstrated a very responsible attitude to such a roundtable and awareness of the importance of the problem for the region. The Sverdlovsk Oblast is one of the Russian regions with the greatest numbers of HIV-infected people (32,384 HIV-infected persons, as of September 1, 2007).

The Roundtable was chaired by V. Klimin, Minister of Health of the Sverdlovsk Oblast. Those involved in the discussion were senior officials from ministers and agencies which are directly or indirectly involved in the response to the HIV epidemic in the Sverdlovsk Oblast, including the regional Ministry of Culture, Department for Youth Affairs, Ministry of General and Vocational Education, Department of Internal Affairs, Department of the Federal Oversight Service for Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare, Administrative Office of the Sverdlovsk Oblast Governor, Press Service under the Governor’s Information Policy Department.

During the discussion, participants identified a number of problems, including the following: no on-going comprehensive prevention programs in many municipal entities; poor coordination among various departments of municipal administrations; only declarative nature of decisions adopted by interagency bodies; lack of understanding of the importance to implement harm reduction programs for IDUs on the part of municipal senior officials; insufficient number of civil society organisations implementing HIV prevention activities among high-risk groups in at the municipal entity level.

On October 6, 2007, a concert of singers participating in the Marathon will take place on the square in front of the Oblast Administration building.

01.10.07

On October 1, 2007, A. Popkov, Chief Physician of the Tyumen Regional AIDS Centre, had a meeting with A. Pankratov, Program Coordinator from the Russian Health Care Foundation, to discuss prospects for cooperation between the Tyumen Regional Government and the Russian Health Care Foundation under the Program: Promoting a Strategic Response to HIV/AIDS – Treatment and Care for Vulnerable Populations in the Russian Federation. Since September 2007, the Tyumen Oblast has been participating in the Program among the twenty two Russian regions where the RHCF is operating. These regions are supplied with antiretroviral drugs and laboratory equipment for HIV/AIDS treatment and provided with support of various levels to implement prevention and outreach activities for the most vulnerable social groups (such as injection drug users, commercial sex workers and men having sex with men); they are also offered training in HIV/AIDS treatment, care and support, etc..

On October 2, 2007, the Office of the Tyumen Oblast Government hosted a roundtable dedicated to Partnership between Civil Society and Public Authorities in the Area of AIDS and Communicable Disease Prevention and Control arranged under the Russian STOP AIDS Car Marathon. It was led by N. Shevchik, Deputy Governor of the Tyumen Oblast, and attended by: A. Kudrikov, Director, Regional Health Department, E. Nechai, Member of the Social Policy Committee, State Duma, A. Popkov, Chief Physician, Tyumen Regional AIDS Centre, Y. Nepomnyashchikh, Manager of the STOP-AIDS Car Marathon, as well as representatives from non-commercial organisations, non-governmental foundations, rehabilitation centres for drug addicts, sports and culture organisations, and PLWH. During the meeting, A. Pankratov, Program Coordinator from the Russian Health Care Foundation, told the audience about prospects of the Tyumen Oblast’s participation in the Program: Promoting a Strategic Response to HIV/AIDS – Treatment and Care for Vulnerable Populations in the Russian Federation, and presented an emblem of their cooperation to N. Shevchik, Deputy Governor of the Oblast.

The Roundtable permitted to increase the visibility of a number of important issues, including the need to put in place a single 24-hour HIV and drug use hotline for the region and the city; to implement prevention programs targeting such groups as children born of HIV-infected mothers, people in need of palliative care, and prisoners. A. Popkov, Chief Physician of the Tyumen Regional AIDS Centre, talked about the need for additional funding from the regional budget for the development of a full set of medical services for PLWHA under the Regional AIDS Centre (including a dentist office, a fluorography service, etc.). A particularly critical issue is the need to complete the construction of the inpatient facility to provide palliative care to HIV-infected patients at the terminal stage of the disease.

28.09.07

The STOP-AIDS Car Marathon arrived in Kemerovo where it was warmly welcomed on a square downtown. On the same day, the Kemerovo Oblast Administration hosted a roundtable dedicated to Partnership between Civil Society and Public Authorities in the Area of AIDS and Communicable Disease Prevention and Control which was attended by regional officials from the Administration and concerned ministries, agencies, and organisations, civil society representatives involved in HIV/AIDS prevention activities in the Kemerovo Oblast. During the event, emblems symbolizing cooperation under the Program: Promoting a Strategic Response to HIV/AIDS – Treatment and Care for Vulnerable Populations in the Russian Federation were presented to A.P. Samsonov, Director of the Regional Health Department, and N.I. Ivanova, Head of the Regional AIDS Centre.

The Car Marathon has covered half its route. It has already driven through remote regions where HIV-associated discrimination is particularly noticeable. Central squares of the cities have seen and heard six loud concerts of Vlad Topalov, Yulya Chicherina, Lera Masskva and other popular singers which brought together thousands of spectators. Hopefully, Kemerovo will not be an exception. Such a concert there is scheduled for September 28, 2007 (07:00 p.m).

21.09.07

A program expert team visited the Republic of North Osetia (Alania) with a view to assessing the regional needs and capacity to implement the Program: Promoting a Strategic Response to HIV/AIDS – Treatment and Care for Vulnerable Populations in the Russian Federation there, and preparing a draft program participation agreement between the Regional Government and the Russian Health Care Foundation.

The team consisted of R.S. Narsia, Needs Assessment Expert from the Federal AIDS Centre, G.G. Salamanov, Expert, and M.M. Shegai, Project Coordinator.

The visit included meetings of the team with E.G. Dzhansolov, Deputy Chairman of the Regional Government, Chair of the Interagency Council, T.I. Tsidaeva, Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of North Osetia (Alania), as well as with the Chief Physician and specialists from the Regional AIDS Centre, officials from the Regional Department of the Federal Prison Service, and representatives of the PLWHA community.

19.09.07

On September 18, 2007, the Irkutsk Oblast Administration hosted a roundtable to promote Partnership between Civil Society and Public Authorities in the Area of AIDS and Communicable Disease Prevention and Control. It was led by S.V. Krut, Deputy Governor of the Irkutsk Oblast. Key speakers included: Yu. Gnatko, Representative of the Federal Oversight Service for Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare in the Siberian Federal District, P. Pavel Tsikolin, Drug Use Control and HIV Prevention Advisor to the Irkutsk Governor, I. Ushakov, Director, Regional Health Department, B. Tsvetkov, Chief Physician, Regional AIDS Centre, M. Akulova, Director, Irkutsk Department, Russian Red Cross, A. Pankratov, Program Coordinator, Russian Health Care Foundation, and Yu. Nepomnyashchikh, Manager of the STOP-AIDS Car Marathon. The identified issues were actively discussed among representatives from stakeholder ministries and agencies, including the Federal Prison Service, Regional Departments of Education, Physical Culture and Sports, and the non-commercial sector.

The event permitted to set out a number of important areas for further improvement, and namely:

- The National Priority Health Project together with the Global Fund Program implemented by the Russian Health Care Foundation are supplying the Oblast with ARV drugs in sufficient amounts to meet all the needs in ARV treatment. It means that part of respective funds from the regional budget could be re-channelled to other areas which have insufficient, if any, funding;
- Activities of the Regional Health Department and the Regional AIDS Centre are not coordinated with those of civil society organisations addressing HIV/AIDS problems;
- Preventive programs are not adequately funded by local administrations;
- There is a need to improve cooperation and coordination among local administrations, stakeholder governmental entities, and civil society, under HIV/AIDS programs;
- Local administrations should provide support to civil society organisations addressing HIV/AIDS problems (through making available premises to them, granting them benefits, and rendering administrative, informational and logistic support).

The roundtable participants adopted a decision to raise these issues at the meeting of the Regional Council under the Governor of the Irkutsk Oblast to be held in October, 2007.