E-DRUG: Promoting the contribution of CBOs towards access to ARVS(4)
------------------------------------------------------------------
Arriving at such a devastating stage of the epidemic, I really believe that
both CBOs and the private sector should and must get the proper mean to
provide ARVs to all people in need, though I guess nobody believes in
governmental welfare public mission as much as I do (like most french
activists do). But if people in south africa had decided to wait for the
government to fulfill its mission, 20 000 people would be dead among the 20
000 people receiving ARVs today in South Africa.
Another example : in Nigeria today, where the government failed distributing
ARVs in time and health centers have drug shortage since two month, 14 000
people with HIV are still taking their drugs with the help of NGOs orienting
them to the right wholesaler, helping them buying their medicine at the
cheapest price and insisting on the importance of observing a strict
compliant protocol.
In most countries, NGOs primary role when dealing with ARVs is to AVOID drug
shortage, and ENSURE good compliance.
I could give many other examples of NGOs, like ANSS in Burundi, doing better
than their own government and providing the cheapest and fastest access to
testing, the best counseling, the cheapest drugs in due time with no
shortage ever, organizing insurance scheme and financial solidarity between
members, and they did not stop fighting for access to all essential drugs
for opportunistic infections in the meantime....
We have to fight that epidemic with ALL our forces.
Marie de Cenival
marie2c@free.fr
--
To send a message to E-Drug, write to: e-drug@healthnet.org
To subscribe or unsubscribe, write to: majordomo@healthnet.org
in the body of the message type: subscribe e-drug OR unsubscribe e-drug
To contact a person, send a message to: e-drug-help@healthnet.org
Information and archives: http://www.essentialdrugs.org/edrug