Dr. Faustine Ndugulile Voted Down From International AIDS Society Governing Council Because of Tanzanian HIV scandal

For Immediate Release

VIENNA/EWORLDWIRE/July 8, 2010 --- PAMOJA, the Austrian HIV-AIDS watchdog organization, congratulates the International AIDS Society (IAS) on the results of the IAS governing council election announced on Wednesday in Vienna.

PAMOJA members are relieved that Dr. Faustine Ndugulile has not been re-elected to the governing council. The organization had formally requested his removal from the leadership of the IAS because of his documented involvement in HIV technology and treatment procurement scandals in Tanzania that compromised the basic right to health care for thousands of patients (http://www.pamoja.at/procurement_scandal.jpg).

PAMOJA affirms that his removal from the governing council is a small bit of accountability for those actions. Former Executive Director of the IAS Robin Gorna had refused to act on this matter in spite of repeated, international pleas by PAMOJA and others.

PAMOJA will be bringing its demand to AIDS 2010 that accountability, both financial and in terms of program results for delivery of services in the battle against HIV-AIDS, be an essential focus for the work of IAS to move forward.

Dozens of HIV positive members of PAMOJA's Tanzanian partner organization PIUMA (http://www.piuma-simba.org) have died prematurely as a result of corruption and incompetence in the health care system in Bulongwa. According to PAMOJA spokesperson Fabian Wirnsperger, "No one - not the Tanzanian government, nor the international donors and Lutheran mission agencies who support the health care there, nor the international NGOs coordinating HIV care in Tanzania - has made anyone accountable for this tragic, ongoing violation of the human right to basic health care."

PAMOJA acknowledges that President-elect of the IAS Dr. Elly Katabira, Uganda, has spoken out clearly on the need to address stopping corruption in the fight against the disease. In a recent blog posting, Dr. Katabira condemned irresponsibility amongst recipient countries in handling donor funds that target the poor, particularly those in need of life-saving medicines, and challenged recipient countries to convince the G8 nations and other donors that "we are committed to caring for our patients by being transparent in the way we handle donor funds." (http://blog.iasociety.org/post/2010/05/12/ARV-Cutbacks-Reach-Crisis-Level.aspx)

PAMOJA calls on the IAS to make financial and program accountability for delivery of services a primary focus for the next two years of its operation, and to use it as the theme for its next international gathering in Washington, D.C., in 2012.

For further information, visit PAMOJA's press archives (http://www.pamoja.at/press.html) and watch the documentary "Who killed Veneranda?" (http://www.pamoja.at/videos.html)

Press photos are available at the PAMOJA Web site at (http://www.pamoja.at/pictures.html)

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CONTACT:
Fabian Wirnsperger
PAMOJA
Marxergasse 23/11
Vienna, 1030
PHONE. +43-650-533-88-27
EMAIL: office@pamoja.at
http://www.pamoja.at

SOURCE: PAMOJA - TOGETHER - Association for Intl. Cooperation