Financing issues in proposed HIV/AIDS intervention of providing anti-retroviral drugs to selected regions in India
Abstract
The development of anti-retroviral therapy has given new hope for
people living with the acquired immuno deficiency syndrome. The government of
India has initiated anti-retroviral treatment as a part of the national public health programme
in six high-prevalence states. This paper aims to examine the financial implications of
initiating anti-retroviral therapy programme in the country. It highlights the importance of
infrastructure and logistic requirements for developing a comprehensive treatment
programme for the affected population. Finally, the paper estimates the broad financial
implications of the anti-retroviral therapy under different treatment scenarios. The
estimatedfinancial requirements for treatment vary from Rs 92 crore per annum if
4,00,000 HIV/AIDS cases are covered to Rs 1,008 crore per annum if all four million
patients are screened. Against this, when the programme was started the National
Aids Control Organisation had allocated a total of Rs 113 crore for the treatment part
of this intervention. Even under the most conservative estimate, achieving the
treatment target in India with this budget will be a challenging task.
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