Brazil's HIV/AIDS policy has been much-lauded for some time. Now a new research report from Harvard confirms the 'remarkable' progress that has been made. Through a combination of free, accessible treatment, and tenacious campaigning on 'safe sex', Brazil has kept its HIV infection rates low. And the Brazilian government hasn't broken the bank to do it. In fact, the report highlights the savings (around $1 billion) that have been achieved through the use of generic medicines, where appropriate and feasible. If all these efforts can be sustained, Brazil will no doubt continue to serve as a beacon to others seeking similar results - not just in relation to HIV/AIDS, but on health and development more broadly.
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Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Day Thirty-Four: Brazil winning the battle
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2 comments:
The success of Brazil’s policy on AIDS is a remarkable achievement. It serves to highlight the failure of other governments to regulate the price of medications, many of which are totally out of reach of health trusts or individuals. Life-prolonging drugs are often denied sufferers because of prohibitive cost. This is true across the board where postcode lottery often determines availability. Manufacturers justify the price of medications, the ingredients of which may only cost a few pence, by pointing out costs of research investment. The free market isn’t helping: people are buying on the Internet (which is fraught with danger) or travelling to where the same medication is a fraction of the price. Life-saving drugs should not be produced by companies that need to keep their shareholders happy. The way in which the sick and the elderly are treated is the mark of a civilised country. Medical research should not be in the hands of those who need to make a profit. Research costs are high: they should be borne by society and free at the point of use to those who need them. The NHS was once the jewel in Labour’s crown – alas, no more.
This is great news!
There must be enough data now, from the many countries and regions in the world and the many efforts that have been made, to give some clear indicators as to the best policies to tackle HIV/AIDS. Is there hard evidence, for example, that some of the religion-inspired abstinence-only policies are less effective (or even counter-productive) when compared with multi-stranded policies, which include condom distribution? What does the data say is the best approach to tackling this disease?
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