Missing the Target #5: Improving AIDS Drug Access ... - CD8 T cells

ZIMBABWEPromises made by country leaders regarding AIDS treatment• In October 2006, the Reserve Bank Governor, Dr. Gideon Gono, pledgedto avail $1 million for ART on a monthly basis. This has not been done, butwould go a long way in enabling the local pharmaceutical industry to meetdemand. Meanwhile, the situation in Zimbabwe has worsened, with localpharmaceutical companies failing both to import drugs and to procure rawmaterials to manufacture ARVs locally. 13• Although the government has noble intentions and sets annual treatmenttargets, it has repeatedly failed to meet them. In 2005, governmentpledged to place 110,000 people on treatment, but only managed to add27,000. In 2006, 56,000 were placed on treatment. This year’s targetis 120,000, less than 50% of the 260,000 people in need of ART, andas of October 2007 it seemed apparent it would not be reached. Manyobservers worry that that the government is scaling down treatment effortsby aiming low.• The health minister, Dr. David Parirenyatwa, in July 2007 pledged toensure that diagnostics would be available free of charge as part ofensuring greater access to treatment for PLWHA on the governmentprogram. As of October 2007, however, that important step had not beenimplemented.RecommendationsCivil society• Assist with aspects of ensuring access to treatment, e.g., treatment literacyprovision to communities.Health ministry• Develop standardized guidelines for adolescent treatment.• Find more creative ways to retain trained personnel.• Fulfill the promise to avail diagnostics to patients on the governmentprogram free of charge.Global Fund/multilateral agencies• Countries are the drivers of these programs. Thus the Global Fund shouldbe more flexible in respecting the country’s strategic decisions as long asthey are justified and approved by the CCM.• Timely disbursement of Global Fund monies is essential to enable smoothoperations.Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe• Allocate foreign currency for purchase of ARVs and support local ARVproduction on a monthly basis as promised.• Decentralize administration of foreign currency accounts run by NGOs.26