20 December 2011 | Press Release | ART, ARV, ICASA, Treatment Access
ADVOCACY FOR FAIR ACCESS TO QUALTITY HEALTH CAREHEALTH FINANCINGFighting HIV / AIDS
ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 7. The Francophone associations to fight against AIDS, gathered from 4 to 8 December 2011 on the sidelines of the 16th International Conference on AIDS (ICASA) in Addis Ababa, are concerned about risks to the financing of the fight against the epidemic. They propose a series of measures to take the international commitment to double the number of people infected with HIV on treatment by 2015 commitment made by UN member states in June 2011.
Today, we all know that good care for antiretroviral prevents HIV transmission. Therefore, that AIDS can be defeated if access to voluntary testing and treatment are widespread. But against all odds, the political leaders of Northern cut the food to people living with HIV in Africa.
Under the false pretext of the financial crisis, the Global Fund to Fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria accuses the enormous difficulties because its rich donor countries are decreasing, worse, to suspend their funding from the Global Fund until ‘in 2014. “That is to say that over 500,000 people with HIV can not receive treatment next year. A criminal decision on the part of those politicians, “protested Mary Susan, director of AID. “The situation is serious: antiretroviral treatment are vital for AIDS patients, and there are fears of cascading failures of ARVs and other inputs by April 2012 in some African countries, or are 28 of 34 million people living with HIV. ”
In June 2011, UN member states have promised to double access to HIV treatment to increase from 7 to 15 million people on treatment by 2015. “Making the announcement to double the number of AIDS patients under treatment while drastically lowering financing questions the credibility of our leaders, but also on their humanity, for they condemn millions of men, women and children “denounces him as a Trenado Emmanuel, Permanent Secretary of the Coalition More.
African states, which do not honor their commitment for 10 years to grant each year at least 15% of their GDP on health, are not far behind. “It is now off the mark, only six of the fifty-three member states of the African Union have honored the commitments Abuja while the health of African people depends on their state and the will of their leaders” specify the associations of French-speaking African fight against AIDS.
Francophone associations gathered at the 16th conference on HIV and AIDS, aware that antiretroviral therapy has the potential to stop HIV and AIDS, do not ask the impossible officials from North and South. They ask them to honor their commitments, for the life of 34 million people depend on it. African countries must urgently increase their health budgets and develop sustainable health systems. From 1 January, donors will be on their side within 200 days to save the fight against AIDS, by paying what they owe already to the Fund and by establishing an emergency summit of reconstitution . The great of this world can coolly contemplate the agony of millions of other human beings.
