Challenges for Effective and Accessible Antiretroviral Therapy
In the past 5 years, considerable progress has been made in scaling-up access to antiretroviral therapy. Today, 1.3 million people are receiving treatment. But a huge amount remains to be done. More than 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS and an estimated 5 million of these are in urgent need of treatment. This means that 3.7 million are getting no treatment at all. Many of these people live in the world’s poorest countries where the situation remains catastrophic.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) currently provides care for over 100,000 people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and antiretroviral therapy for more than 60,000 people across 65 projects in 32 countries. Although MSF programmes report very good outcomes, immense challenges remain.
Drawing on data and experiences being presented at the XVI international aids conference in Toronto, this document highlights some of the strategies that have helped MSF to expand access to quality care, obstacles confronted along the way, and proposals for moving forward.
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