Prof. Joe Thomas

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic is certain to have an unprecedented impact on the global population, but marginalized and vulnerable groups in low-income countries (LICs) are predicted to carry the largest burden. This study focuses on the implications of COVID-19-related measures on three population groups in India, including (1) migrant laborers (of which a majority come from Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs), as well as Other Backward Classes (OBCs)), (2) children from low-income families and, (3) refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Design/methodology/approach: This study adopts a sequential mixed-method research design. A desk-based study of a selection of government reports was undertaken on the COVID-19-related mitigation measures. The desk study was followed by in-depth interviews with purposively recruited high-ranking experts in specific sectors of policy implementation and service delivery across the country. Findings: The outcomes of this stud...

Evaluate the capacity of government-run hospitals in Bangladesh to provide emergency and essential surgical, obstetric and anaesthetic services. Cross-sectional survey of 240 Bangladeshi Government healthcare facilities using the World Health Organisation Situational Analysis Tool to Assess Emergency and Essential Surgical Care (SAT). This tool evaluates the ability of a healthcare facility to provide basic surgical, obstetric and anaesthetic care based on 108 queries that detail the infrastructure and population demographics, human resources, surgical interventions and reason for referral, and available surgical equipment and supplies. For this survey, the Bangladeshi Ministry of Health sent the SAT to sub-district, district/general and teaching hospitals throughout the country in April 2013. Responses were received from 240 healthcare facilities (49.5% response rate): 218 sub-district and 22 district/general hospitals. At the sub-district level, caesarean section was offered by 55...

The National Food Security Bill, 2013 is a bill enacted by the Indian parliament to provide for subsidised food and nutritional security to the people, in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quaintly of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity. This Bill would provide subsidised food grain, through the national Public Distribution System (PDS) (‘Ration Shops’) to 75% of India’s estimated 833 million rural population and 50% of an estimated 377 million urban population and dubbed as one of the largest social security scheme in the world

ABSTRACT HIV intervention trials being conducted in developing countries continue to raise questions of ethics in clinical research. Most recently these questions have arisen because of a prospective study reporting the rate of transmission in discordant couples that was conducted in Uganda. The study raises serious questions about the minimum ethical standards required for this kind of research and the responsibilities of the researchers. We re-examine that research particularly focusing on issues of informed consent and duty of care, and place this trial in the context of the broader debate.

It is significant that the first major criticism of HIV clinical trials in developing countries was not raised by scientists at advanced AIDS research centres, by international AIDS organisations, or by scientists from the developing countries, but by two researchers associated with the ...

1. Issues Med Ethics. 1998 Jul-Sep;6(3):87. HIV and confidentiality in India. Thomas J. AIDS Advocacy Alliance, Community Research Programme on AIDS, CCTER/Chinese University of Hong Kong, B, 7B. Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, NT Hong Kong. ...

Unmet ethical concerns of the proposed preventive HIV vaccine trials in India. ... There are no files associated with this item. ... Items in IMSEAR Digital Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. ... Index Medicus for South-...

Abstract The objective was to assess levels of high-risk sexual behaviour, condom use, sexually transmitted disease (STD) history and AIDS-related perceptions among Hong Kong men returning from China by land; 1,254 systematically sampled subjects were interviewed. Of ...

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The present study examined the prevalence of and factors associated with deferrable risk behaviours practised by male voluntary blood donors in Hong Kong. Attitudes and knowledge related to HIV/AIDS and blood donation among both male and female blood donors were also studied. In total, 2,162 (1,190 male and 972 female) blood donors in four Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Services (HKRCBTS) centres completed an anonymous structured questionnaire. About 11% of the male respondents have practised deferrable risk behaviours (e.g. sharing syringes, commercial sex-networking, or having sex with another man). Furthermore, among male respondents, 5.9% indicated that they are using blood donations as a means of testing for their HIV status. These male 'potential test seekers' tended to be younger, single, unemployed and first-time donors; relevant knowledge and perceptions towards the screening guideline were also associated with potential test seeking and deferrable risk. About 5% of all respondents would go to the HKRCBTS to perform an HIV test, if required. Many blood donors in Hong Kong were not knowledgeable about HIV-related issues. There is a need to review the effectiveness of the present deferral system, which is based on the goodwill of the donor to disclose personal health risk factors.

This book deals with the British refugee policy and it's outcome in Hong Kong, which led to the administrative detention (detention without a legal procedure) of a large number of children, women and men for a prolonged period of time, with untold misery and other ...

"March 1995".. Thesis (PhD)--University of Poona, 1995.. Includes references and selected bibliography (leaves 284-332).. Thesis supervisor: K. Sadanandan Nair. ... Refugees, Refugees, Vietnamese, Research., Asylum seekers., Detained persons., Vietnamese., Refugee ...

This book deals with the British refugee policy and it's outcome in Hong Kong, which led to the administrative detention (detention without a legal procedure) of a large number of children, women and men for a prolonged period of time, with untold misery and other ...

An unprecedented number of human sexuality studies have been initiated in response to the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic. Unfortunately, methodological developments in the field of sex research have been slow in meeting the demands of AIDS investigations focusing on the diverse populations at risk for infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (e.g., adolescents, gay men, intravenous-drug users, ethnic minorities, elderly transfusees). In this article, we review and integrate current literature on measurement error and participation bias in sex research, with an emphasis on collecting sexual information in the context of AIDS. The relevance of these findings for AIDS-related sex research is discussed, and recommendations are made to guide future investigations.

his paper examines some of the critical issues involved in the
controversy related to the Cambodian arm of the proposed multi-country clinical research on the efficacy of Tenofovir as a pre-exposure prophylaxis. The purpose of this paper is (a) to describe the ethical dilemmas raised by the trial, (b) to gather relevant background information on the preparation of the trial, (c) to document the perspectives of the potential trial participants, (d) to discuss some of the ethical issues specific to the trial and (e) to place the trial in the context of the broader debate on the role of clinical researchers, mainly when they are from
affluent societies and while they conduct trials in resource scare societies and to list some of the lessons to be learned from this controversy.
A two-day interactive workshop on “Ethics of clinical trials: What community leaders should know about the ethical implications of HIV&AIDS clinical trials in Cambodia?” was organised in response to the controversy.

This workshop aimed to equip community leaders with the skills to analyse the ethical implications of HIV and AIDS-related clinical trials and to establish a community-based ethical review committee. The outcomes of this workshop are a testament to the practical application of the research and its impact on the community.
Based on the outcome of the training program and further analysis, this paper lists some of the lessons to be learned from this controversy as related to a) Obligations and responsibilities of the researchers, b) Informed consent needs to be understood as an ongoing dialogue, c) need to strengthen local ERC systems, d) questions related to the effectiveness of ‘Global ERCs, e) need to develop specific methods for assessing risks and benefits of clinical trials, f) trial participants right to negotiate for ‘Minimum standards’ of ‘Duty of Care’, g) health equity must be a criterion to prioritising clinical trial research questions h) many of the international initiatives to break the impasse appeared as pressure to break the resolve of the sex workers, and i) questions about nature of impartiality of some of the international mediator’s role.