Medical Aid Group Warns of Waning Support for AIDS Treatment Scale-Up

In a new report, Doctors Without Borders (DWB) is warning of a "major funding deficit and a looming crisis" in AIDS funding. On Thursday in Johannesburg, South Africa, the report's author spoke about the problem.

In 2005, leaders of the G-8 nations committed to supporting universal access to AIDS prevention, treatment, and care for all persons in need by 2010. "Now what we're seeing is a backing off," said Sharonann Lynch, DWB's HIV policy advisor.

While acknowledging the burden of the global financial crisis, Lynch said, "There is also very much a political [crisis]. I don't believe that the U.S., the Netherlands, the UK, France are backing off from some of the commitments that they've made because of a financial crisis." Rather, she said, they are doing so "because it's expensive and because they think no one is watching."

Lynch said the directors of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria will meet next week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and are "going to be voting on a resolution to suspend new funding rounds in 2010 due to the lack of funds. We've also seen that the Global Fund has been forced to make substantial cuts in grants for proposals that had already been approved."

Officials with the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) stress that while this year's funding increase may be below that of years past, the Obama administration remains committed to fighting the epidemic. They say that PEPFAR, in addition to helping 3 million people access antiretrovirals, also provides other assistance to more than 10 million people affected by AIDS and "supports HIV counseling and testing for nearly 57 million people."

To access the DWB report, click here.

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