18 July 2009

Conference to Address Growing Reports of Drug Stock Outs

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported yesterday on disruptions in supplies of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in six African countries. Citing the catastrophic consequences of drug shortages on new patients and those already in care, the MSF report called on national governments, donors and their partners to take swift action to address the funding gaps and supply distribution problems hampering access to lifesaving drugs. The six countries cited were the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Malawi, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The report will be the subject of an MSF satellite meeting on Sunday, 19 July entitled, The Emergency Is Not Over: Access to Treatment and the Challenges of Long-Term Survival on Antiretrovirals. A plenary presentation on Tuesday by Dr. Stefano Bertozzi of the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico will focus on financing the long-term response to HIV.

IAS 2009 organizers have expressed deep concerns about the impact of funding shortages on access to treatment and will reiterate those concerns in Sunday's opening session, where Treatment Action Campaign's Vuyiseka Dubul will also speak. The interruption of ARVs is potentially life-threatening for those now on treatment, and also poses a serious public health risk from the potential development of resistance. The threat of shortages also complicates the current push to revise normative treatment guidelines on when people living with HIV should begin treatment, which will be another hot topic in Cape Town and will be discussed in a symposium on Monday 20 July. Treatment Action Campaign is also planning a march and rally for Sunday afternoon to call for the resources needed to meet treatment targets in the country.

Webcasts of the opening session and all plenary sessions will be available on www.ias2009.org.

Update: AP covered the MSF report and the reaction of conference organizers here.

6 comments:

  1. Knock-Out The Drug Stock-Outs
    (by Maketekete Alfred Thotolo - Activist,Lesotho)

    The isue of stock-outs of essential medicines is a very serious problem in our Southern African countries and needs SERIOUS ATTENTION or else many tax paying citizens will lose their lives unnecessarily. Our governments are only interested in what seems to be a priority to the minority decision making politicians. Public and donor funds are being squandered by extravagant government spending for top officials on very expensive cars, allowances, overseas trips which attract unbelievable perdiems nd allowances; the list is endless and yet citizens are left to die due lack of medicines with ministers claiming that everything is under control!

    How can all be under control when health facilities in Lesotho have been without oxygen, panado, local anaesthasia, ARVs and a lot more for months now??? Lesotho's health system i appalling at the moment leading to the unnecessary deaths of ordinary citizens.

    How will we reach Universal Access amid such problems including lack of transparency, denial with information and officials scared of publicly reavealing the truth about services which are eminently on their knees.

    In this region we demand ministers who are accountable to the voters and who report the truth of the matter as opposed to intimidation of activists and organisations which RIGHTFULLY DEMAND to be told the truth. PLWHIV demand to know how the health budget is being spent; they demand to be given three months supply of drugs or a better alternative way be discussed with them; they demand a constant supply of ARVs to avoid resistence which may lead to second line which many governments cannot afford; we demand generic drugs in order to ensure that the limited funds available will buy enough ARVs for allthose who need them.

    May our government stop allcorrupt practices such as selling Mecedez Benz cars to ministers and other top officials at M4,000 (ZAR4,000). May our Southern African leaders invest in the lives of people who voted them into power!!!

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  2. Of course the "financial crisis" will be held responsible for the stock outs which is humiliating and shameful for those countries who cut down their help. This really will be desasterous for both the people who are under haart now as well as for those in need.

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  3. Hi,

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    ReplyDelete
  4. I have been suffering hardship from HIV/AIDS since 7yrs now, and i happen to have 2 kids for my husband, and now we cannot proceed to have another kids all because of my disease and now i have do all what a human like i and my husband can do just to get my disease healed, i have went to several places to seek for help not even one person could ever help, until i melt a comment on the daily news paper that was commented by Desmond about how this powerful traditional doctor help him get cured of the disease (HIV-AIDS) " my fellow beloved" i firstly taught having a help from a spiritual traditional healer was a wrong idea, but i think of these, will i continue to stress on these disease all day when i have someone to help me save my life?" so i gather all my faiths and put in all interest to contact him through his Email address at dr.ukpoyanspellhome@hotmail.com so after i have mailed him of helping get my disease cured, he respond to me fast as possible that i should not be afraid, that he is a truthful and powerful doctor which i firstly claimed him to be. So after all set has been done, he promise me that i will be healed but on a condition that i provide him some items and obeyed all his oracle said. I did all by accepting his oracles fact and only to see that after some weeks of taking his herbal medicine i notice some changes in my body system and i went for check up the day he ask me to go for check up to confirm if the sickness was still there,to my greatest surprise i could not find any sickness in my body i was first shocked and later arise to be the happiest woman on earth after i have concluded my final test on the hospital by my doctor that i am now HIV- Negative. My papers for check are with me and now i am happy and glad for his miraculous help and power. With these i must tell everyone who might seek for any help, either for HIV cure or much more to contact him now at these following email now, Email: dr.ukpoyanspellhome@hotmail.com
    " sir thank you so much for your immediate cure of my disease, i must say a big thanks for curing my disease, i owe you in return. Thanks and be blessed sir.
    FAITH MITCHELL

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  5. I want to share to the world how Dr Olorun helped me cure my HIV/Aids with his herb i never believe it will work because i was introduce to him by my friend who was cure of HIV/Aids by Dr olorun. so i will tell you all who is looking for a cure to their HIV/AIDS, he took research before he could finally get the solution to it. thank God today am a beneficiary to these cure and i went back to the hospital after three (3) months of taking the herb and i was negative, and he also cure any kind of cancer without any surgery and he heal with natural herb. please i urge you to contact him now through his email address: olorunoduduwaspiritualtemple@gmail.com

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  6. My name is Linda Anderson from Canada. I am here to give testimony on how I got heal of HIV virus,i have been suffering from this disease for the past 3 years ago.have been to different hospital and different spell caster, I felt like killing myself, my life became very bitter and sorrowful. hepatitis virus is a deadly disease i stayed away from my husband because i don't want to transfer it to my family until one very good day i was directed by my friend to Dr Omoa a great spell caster who cased a spell and i was healed of the disease.i didn't believe it because I've worked with so many of them and it didn't work. She begged me further so I decided to try this great spell caster called Great Dr Omoa. I still didn't believe, but inside me i wanted to give a try and as God will have it, i used the spell solution he gave me and the next day I went to the hospital to carryout a test,after the test i went home the next day i received a call from my doctor and he told me i was NEGATIVE.i didn't believe it because it was like a dream I'm very happy now with my family it worked for me and i believe it will work for you too just give him a try and follow up this is a clear truth from a testifier. Thank you Dr Omoa once again, if you want to reach him via email: (dradanikesolutionhome@outlook.com) WhatssApp or calling +2348141309378

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