E-DRUG: MSF Report on reduced funding for HIV management
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A new MSF report describes the worrying trend of reduced funding for
HIV and AIDS scale up, including from the major donors such as PEPFAR, UNITAID
and Global Fund (GFATM).
Combined with the effects of the economic crisis on domestic spending on
health and HIV, the consequences of shrinking international funding for
HIV and AIDS are directly felt at patient and programme level...
Punishing success in tackling AIDS: Funders' retreat could wipe out health
gains in HIV affected countries
Johannesburg, 5 November 2009
A retreat from international funding commitments for AIDS threatens to
undermine the dramatic gains made in reducing AIDS-related illness and
death in recent years, according to a new report by Medecins Sans
Frontieres (MSF). See: http://www.msf.org/ or www.msfaccess.org
The MSF report highlights how expanding access to HIV treatment has not
only saved the lives of people with AIDS but has been central to reducing
overall mortality in a number of high HIV burden countries in southern
Africa in recent years. In Malawi and South Africa, MSF observed very
significant decreases in overall mortality in areas where antiretroviral
therapy (ART) coverage was high. Increased treatment coverage has also had
an impact on the burden of other diseases, for example tuberculosis cases
have been significantly reduced in Thyolo, Malawi and Western Cape
province, South Africa.
After almost a decade of progress in rolling out HIV treatment we have
seen substantial improvements, both for patients and public health. But
recent funding cuts mean doctors and nurses are being forced to turn HIV
patients away from clinics as if we were back in the 1990s before
treatment was available', says Dr Tido von Schoen-Angerer, Director of
MSF's Access to Essential Medicines Campaign.
International support to combat HIV and AIDS is faltering as reflected in
significant funding shortfalls. The board of directors of the Global Fund,
a key financer of AIDS programmes in poor countries is unable to respond
to countries' needs and will next week in Addis Ababa vote whether or not
to suspend all new funding proposals in 2010; and PEPFAR, the US AIDS
programme is flatlining funding for two more years.
'The Global Fund must not cover up the deficit caused by its funders',
says von Schoen-Angerer. 'The proposed cancellation of the 2010 funding
round and other measures to slow the pace of treatment scale-up are
punishing the successes of the past years and preventing countries from
saving more lives.'
In 2005, world leaders promised to support universal AIDS coverage by
2010, a promise that encouraged many African governments to launch
ambitious treatment programmes.
"What about the promise made to people with AIDS? We gave them hope and
life. We have to be there for them, we all knew from the beginning that
this treatment was for life,â says Olesi Ellemani Pasulani, MSF Clinical
Officer in Thyolo District Hospital, Malawi. 'Passing on the bill for
treating AIDS to very poor countries would be a colossal betrayal.â
Reducing funding at this time will leave people in urgent need of
treatment to die prematurely and can lead to dangerous interruption of
treatment. In Uganda, cuts have already begun to hit home with some
facilities forced to stop treating new patients with HIV. Other countries
are backing away from their earlier treatment coverage targets. In Free
State, South Africa, past funding problems that have now been resolved led
to disruption of treatment and a moratorium on treating new patients which
resulted in an estimated 3,000 deaths.
The report provides evidence that, particularly in high HIV-prevalence
settings, treating AIDS has a positive impact on other important health
goals, in particular maternal and child health.
'A stronger commitment to other health priorities must happen, but this
should be in addition to, not instead of, continued, increased commitment
to HIV and AIDS', adds von Schoen-Angerer.
At present, over four million people living with HIV-related illness in the
developing world receive antiretroviral therapy. An estimated six million
people who are in need of life-saving treatment, are still waiting for
access. MSF operates HIV and AIDS programmes in around 30 countries and
provides antiretroviral treatment to more than 140,000 HIV-positive adults
and children.
Seco GERARD
Advisor, Analysis and Advocacy Unit, Gen Dir.
MSF
Rue Dupré 94
1090 Brussels
32 2 475 36 34 (dir off)
Seco GERARD <seco.gerard@brussels.msf.org>