More is needed if African countries are to achieve universal access to HIV treatment

Universal access to HIV treatment is one of the targets of Millennium Development Goal 6, the indicator for which is the proportion of the population with advanced HIV infection with access to antiretroviral drugs (ARVs). Despite the fact that in the past decade there has been a considerable increase in access to HIV treatment in sub-Saharan African countries, rising from 2% in 2003 to an estimated 44% of adults and children by December 2008, important access gaps still remain. In the majority of the countries more than a half of those in need of HIV treatment are not receiving it. Increased access to ARV therapy and the decline in AIDS related mortality translates into is a continuous increase in demand for HIV treatment over the coming decades. It is argued in an article entitled “What are the prospects of Africa achieving universal access to HIV treatment?”, that achieving this goal requires overcoming the challenges of scaling up of ARV treatment, in particular, ensuring sustainable health financing mechanisms. This implies that African governments must increase their national contribution to the cost of health care including HIV treatment, which is currently largely borne by international funds. What are your views? The full article is here http://wp.me/p19mPA-x