PartnersGF - 2004-11-17

Expected Outcomes of the 9th Board Meeting
Dr Abdulsalami Nasidi
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"TO AVOID KEEPING THE CCMS AS TOOTHLESS DOGS, THE 9TH BOARD MEETING SHOULD COME OUT CLEARLY WITH A FINAL POLICY ON HOW THE CCMS SHOULD BE EMPOWERED"

Yes, I agree that the 9th Board meeting is crucial and I always agree that the role of people living with the diseases should be increased.

Nevertheless, the key issues around the CCMs are their ability to function independently. It is clear that the main problem is not the composition (most African CCMs have good representation of people living with the diseases), but the poor funding and the inadequacy of technical assistance and support to the CCMs.

To avoid keeping the CCMs as toothless dogs, the 9th Board meeting should come out clearly with a final policy on how the CCMs should be empowered to do their job and how they should be funded. Sources for funding should include access to a portion of the project fund and also contribution from the partners. The Ad Hoc Committee on this issue Headed by the Vice Chair of the Board I believe had done a good job addressing these issues. Her Committee had also made cogent recommendations. I hope these recommendations will be adopted by the Board.

Dr Abdulsalami Nasidi
Chairman, CCM Nigeria
Email: nasidia@hotmail.com