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Reuters examines Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Executive Director Michel Kazatchkine’s recent comments on the sidelines of the 9th International Conference on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP), that some emerging nations should consider becoming donor nations. Pointing to Brazil, China, Mexico and South Africa as examples of countries who “may now be in a position to offer a hand to poorer countries that need help,” Kazatchkine explained, “As these countries come in and play more political leadership roles, they have to enter into the global solidarity effort when it comes to health … I really think it is time for the G20, which is 85 percent of the world’s economy, to come into the circle of donors. The Global Fund has to expand.”

Though “[t]he Global Fund received $10 billion in pledges from G8 group of countries to fight HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria for the years 2008 to 2010,” there is growing concern the current economic crisis will hurt international commitments to health spending, Reuters writes. The Global Fund “will soon need to lobby donor nations for money for the next three-year cycle, 2011 to 2013, the last lap before the 2015 deadline for the Millennium Development Goals” (Lyn, 8/11).

UNAIDS Director Outlines Ways To Reduce Spread Of HIV In Asia

Of the “more than 1,000 people [who] become infected with HIV in Asia each day,” most “infections could have been averted if only we had invested in reaching populations at higher risk and their partners — at a cost of less than half a U.S. dollar per person,” Michel Sidibe, executive director of UNAIDS, writes in an opinion piece appearing in China Daily. Sidibe outlines four points that can help “transform the AIDS response so that it works for the people — especially for the marginalized and the voiceless” (Sidibe, 8/12).

Jakarta Post Examines Efforts To Educate, Protect Women From Spread Of HIV In Papua

The Jakarta Post examines the ongoing efforts in the province of Papua to educate women about how to protect themselves against HIV/AIDS. Speaking at the ICAAP, Papua HIV/AIDS Commission chairman Constant Karma described how through collaborations between his organization and non-governmental organizations and corporations, more than 265,000 women received female condoms. “The promotion of female condoms among sex workers and housewives will give women more bargaining power … while simultaneously reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS,” Jayapura Social Development Foundation director Tahi Butar-butar said (Sijabat, 8/12).

IPS Examines ‘Scant Presence of Mainstream Media’ At Asia’s Largest HIV/AIDS Meeting

Inter Press Service examines the “scant presence of mainstream media” at ICCAP - a sign “the press was overlooking the big story on HIV/AIDS, say some journalists and development analysts” (8/12).

This information was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at globalhealth.kff.org.

© Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Recent disruptions in the supply of anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs and other essential medical items in at least six African countries are putting HIV patients’ lives at risk, said the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontières (MSF) today, in advance of the International AIDS Society Conference in Cape Town, South Africa.

Funding gaps and supply management problems have led to the delay, suspension-or risk of suspension-of the supply of life-saving HIV drugs in recent months. The inaction of national governments, donors, and their partners must end and they must take urgent and concrete measures, said MSF.

The consequences of disruptions in funding and supplies are potentially catastrophic: if the start of new patients on treatment has to be suspended or delayed, then the lives of many in urgent need of drugs are at risk. For people already on treatment, the interruptions or lowering of dosages will lead to treatment failure and a higher risk of developing drug-resistance. Disruptions are having a direct impact on MSF’s HIV programs.

In South Africa, the government budget for health was cut due to the global financial crisis; finding alternative funding seems difficult in the short term.

“All around us, clinics stop enrolling patients because there are just not enough ARV supplies,” said Eric Goemaere, MSF head of mission in South Africa. “The waiting lists are growing by the day, risking that patients die before they start ARVs. It’s unbelievable that a relatively well-functioning ARV program has been allowed to be crippled in the space of just a few weeks. MSF will not be able to fill the gaps, and we seriously question why we should have to do so, in view of declared international commitments.”

In Malawi, delays in funding disbursements from the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria have already caused worrying shortages in ARV supplies. As a result, ARV stocks are running dangerously low in several health facilities. In order to avoid further ruptures, the Ministry of Health, with the help of MSF and other NGOs, is currently re-distributing ARV supplies to different districts. MSF has also had to buy additional backup stocks, to ensure a steady supply for patients in its projects. For now, MSF is able to start new patients on treatment, but there is a real risk that this will have to slow down.

MSF teams in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, and Guinea are also seeing stock-outs and disruptions.

Disruptions are a result of a shortage of in-country funding and delays by donor governments in fulfilling their commitments. Major international funding institutions such as the Global Fund for AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and PEPFAR face budget caps or uncertainty in the replenishment of funding. Country level supply management and procurement issues compound the problem, as any delays in funding place the supply chain in danger.

“MSF is extremely concerned about the lack of effective action from governments, their partners, and international donors in assuring the continued funding and supply of ARVs and other medical items for treatment,” said Meinie Nicolai, MSF director of operations. “They are playing with fire: no ARVs means no HIV/AIDS treatment. Governments and donors must respond to funding and supply problems urgently and effectively.”

Source
Doctors Without Borders