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THE SMART NEWS SOURCE | Feb 10 2010 02:07 | LAST UPDATED Feb 10 2010 02:07 |
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Scientists and policymakers attending the Fifth International Aids Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Cape Town, have strongly reacted to allegations that Aids takes up such a huge chunk of international funding that it prevents other diseases from receiving financial support. Instead, they say, the HIV response has helped to strengthen healthcare systems across Africa, dubbing Aids funding and technology "transformative". "HIV has challenged … and transformed African health systems in very fundamental ways. Because HIV is a chronic disease, it transforms a system to one that is much more interested in long-term outcomes for people,” says Wafaa El-Sadr, director of the International Centre for Aids Care and Treatment Programmes and a professor at Columbia University. Michael Kazatchkine, executive director of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, agrees: "Aids has shown that when the world decides to come together around a goal it is possible to achieve [extraordinary things]." Over the past few months, there has been numerous accusations that domestic and donor funding is unfairly allocated to Aids programmes, leaving other health problems neglected. This backlash to "Aids exceptionalism" has caused donors and programme implementers to question the effectiveness of HIV programmes and consider whether they are diverting funds and attention from other diseases, especially within resource-poor areas such as sub-Saharan Africa. Conference delegates acknowledge that a large percentage of the world’s health funding, especially within resource-poor countries, does go to HIV, but contend that this does not mean it diverts from other programmes. "To my knowledge, no one has shown data that spending money on HIV means not spending money on health systems," says El-Sadr. Instead, she argues, funding HIV programmes strengthens the fight against other concurrent health problems.  CONTINUES BELOW "People interested in HIV are interested in other health outcomes, they’re interested in maternal health and child health because they’re intrinsic in HIV outcomes," she says. Alan Whiteside of the University of KwaZulu-Natal believes arguments against Aids funding fail to see the interconnectedness of all health outcomes, and is unhelpful in strengthening Africa's poor health indicators. "Aids is absolutely exceptional and is an emergency, but it is disingenuous to divide the health sector. HIV and Aids has brought huge amounts of money to health and it works across entire health systems," he says. Despite the successes in scaling up health systems, Jacqueline Batarigaya, senior policy adviser for the International Aids Society, cites the continuing "serious deficiencies in health systems" as instrumental in preventing future roll-out of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for seven million of Africa’s HIV-infected people currently waiting for treatment. Batarigaya says a severe shortage of healthcare workers across the continent is a major impediment to increasing the number of patients on treatment. "There is currently a 3,4-million healthcare worker shortage in the world, and we’re 1,7-million short in Africa alone. We can’t treat seven million people without these workers," she says. Whiteside blames the brain drain and the South African government's lack of commitment to training new health workers as responsible for the shortage and resulting treatment shortfall. "I find it quite incredible that we haven’t scaled up our training of healthcare workers in South Africa. It's just been business as usual," he says. In order for the country to meet the targets outlined in the National Strategic Plan for HIV/Aids, which calls for 80% treatment coverage for those who need it by the year 2011, Whiteside says further healthcare innovation is needed. El-Sadr reiterates: "We can’t say that HIV is over. It’s still an emergency." TOPICS IN THIS ARTICLE
Comments
Always the same old story with the same old punch line! If Africa can take control of itself and act responsibly then we won’t need aid. HIV/Aids is an illness like any other – and Africans are obviously promiscuous to a degree that would put bunny rabbits to shame. Unfortunately you will reap what you sow. And we are reaping death and poverty.
Concerned Citizen on July 21, 2009, 6:11 pm
Scientists will say the same old rhetoric over and over and cry that this is an emergency whilst Governments dont really have a clue as to what is going on. HIV is a money spinner...nothing we say or do in the next 100 years will help solve this problem. Let the disease live out its natural progression. Amen.
Curious Citizen on July 21, 2009, 6:51 pm
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