Sep 21, 2006

“Permanent” Funding for AIDS Drugs for Children; Challenge Remains in Delivery

by Laura Starita

A group of five countries led by France plans to tax airline tickets to raise $300 million for medicines to treat children with HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, the International Herald Tribune reports. The countries, which also include Britain, Brazil, Norway and Chile, plan to work through a newly formed nonprofit called Unitaid. Former U.S. president Bill Clinton’s foundation will negotiate preferred rates for the medications. 

This initiative has a lot of potential for good, given that dependable funding for such programs is critical. Long-term success will hinge on Unitaid establishing measures of effectiveness to ensure that the money is being spent wisely – success can’t be measured in the numbers of pills purchased. The countries involved will also have to make sure that this initiative is not a subtle excuse to cut aid budgets, an event that has its precedents.

Beyond raising the money to buy medicines, however, is the challenge of delivering those medications and getting patients to take them. As has been seen in places such as South Africa, the stigma of disease can be so acute that patients refuse to take available medications as a way of hiding their illness. Delivering medication to patients in rural areas and ensuring the medicines are taken correctly also brings its own challenges, especially in regions with limited medical personnel.

Furthermore, any mention of the on-going costs of treatment should immediately throw the spotlight on the urgency of prevention. Though Unitaid’s efforts to acquire medications for those truly in need are highly commendable, no tax scheme will ever provide enough to treat the infected if we don’t act aggressively and judiciously to drive down HIV, malaria and tuberculosis infection rates. 

France is expected to contribute the bulk of the funds, as much as $250 million in the coming year, with $20 million promised from Britain and the remaining amount from the other countries. The Financial Times reports that Britain has received some criticism for its lack of generosity relative to France’s. Yet making a small initial investment, with further funding contingent upon the success of the initiative, makes a lot of sense. Critics might say that AIDS is too important an issue to wait on; we say it is too important to risk wasting money on programs that don’t work.

International Herald Tribune: Five Nations to Tax Airfare to Raise Funds for AIDS Drugs
Financial Times: UK attacked over size of cash offer to fight Aids and TB