The AIDS and Rights Alliance of Southern Africa (ARASA), Treatment Action Campaign and Médecins Sans Frontiéres (MSF) warned that international donors might cut funding for the life saving drugs. They were speaking on the eve of a high level meeting in London today on the G8’€™s commitment to ensure universal access to treatment by the end of this year. The meeting will be attended by the big HIV/AIDS donors.

In 2005, under the leadership of the United Kingdom both the G8 and G20 countries committed towards providing universal access to ARVs for all those in need of treatment. However, according to the coalition HIV was not included in the agendas of both the G8 and G24’€™s upcoming conventions due to take place in May and July this year.  

‘€œThis is a clear indication of a lack of political will. Where there is no will there is clearly no funding,’€ said Paula Akugizibwe of ARASA.

Worldwide over four million people have received treatment while over 5.5 million still cannot access treatment. Andile Madondile TAC treatment educator said there was no need to slow down and undo the access achievements.

‘€œThat has been a great achievement but we need to put more people on treatment. We need to save the lives of the poorest,’€ said Madondile.

He said funding cut backs to treatment would endanger other critical interventions such as HIV testing. ‘€œPeople will be reluctant to test once they know they won’€™t get treatment after testing positive. Others will be drawn into using quackery medicine when the option to getting ARVs is snatched from them,’€ he said.

The group said flat funding for HIV treatment would have crippling consequences on health systems.

According to an MSF report titled Pushing Success, Uganda was the darling of the US President’€™s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) for years and received US$29-million between 2003 and 2008 at increasingly consistent levels. However, that has changed and only half of those eligible for ARV treatment have access to it. According to the report the primary message from the US government to treatment providers and the Ugandan government has been – funding will continue at the current rate but will not increase.

Dr Gilles Van Cutsem, HIV/TB Medical coordinator at MSF in Khayelitsha said there were new guidelines being introduced by the World Health Organisation but these guidelines needed funding for them to be implemented fully and effectively.

Akugizibwe said the group was not letting African leaders off the hook. Last year ARASA revealed that President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda purchased a US$48,2-million private jet, an amount that could have bought his people 229 524 years of HIV treatment.

‘€œAfrican leaders made a commitment in 2001 in Abuja to dedicate 15% of their funding for health care to ARV treatment and only a handful have tried to uphold that,’€ she said.

She said they were not calling for donors to make new and greater commitments than the ones they had made but were calling for them to keep the promises they made five years ago.

To read  a statement by the International AIDS Society  click on  link:  https://health-e.org.za/uploaded/b74adb1e31839b5d0a3ec2907b2639ce.pdf