AIDS funding still short of target

AS AIDS activists got down to serious business at this week’s international conference in Thailand, the agency that heads the fight against the disease has predicted a 50 per cent funding shortfall.

UNAIDS issued a report yesterday stating that although global spending on the disease had increased from US$1,2 billion in 2000 to an estimated US$6 billion this year, there would still be a shortfall of 50 per cent next year. “Unless more resources are directed toward the global response, the gap between the need and available resources will grow significantly in coming years,” the report said.It said increased funding came largely from new donor initiatives such as the Global AIDS Fund and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.”Countries themselves are also spending more domestically,” the report said.However, it added, the “increase in spending was… not enough to keep pace with the resources needed to effectively fight the AIDS epidemic in the developing world”.The shortfall of funding and improving treatment were the key themes for the second day of the conference – the largest ever with 17 000 people signed up for the six-day event.Namibia is among the countries that have substantially increased their spending on HIV-AIDS.When she motivated her budget of N$1,7 billion – the third largest allocation in the 2004-05 State Budget, earlier this year – Health Minister Libertina Amathila said the introduction of life-prolonging programmes had pushed up spending and would continue to do so in the coming 12 months.A grant of N$143 million from the Global Fund to fight HIV-AIDS represents the biggest single injection into the budget for HIV-AIDS-related activities.In addition to funds allocated for procuring anti-retroviral drugs, the State is to allocate another N$7 million for HIV-AIDS programme development.More than 180 000 Namibians are reported to be living with HIV-AIDS and were responsible for six per cent of all admissions to public health facilities last year.”Unless more resources are directed toward the global response, the gap between the need and available resources will grow significantly in coming years,” the report said.It said increased funding came largely from new donor initiatives such as the Global AIDS Fund and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.”Countries themselves are also spending more domestically,” the report said.However, it added, the “increase in spending was… not enough to keep pace with the resources needed to effectively fight the AIDS epidemic in the developing world”.The shortfall of funding and improving treatment were the key themes for the second day of the conference – the largest ever with 17 000 people signed up for the six-day event.Namibia is among the countries that have substantially increased their spending on HIV-AIDS.When she motivated her budget of N$1,7 billion – the third largest allocation in the 2004-05 State Budget, earlier this year – Health Minister Libertina Amathila said the introduction of life-prolonging programmes had pushed up spending and would continue to do so in the coming 12 months.A grant of N$143 million from the Global Fund to fight HIV-AIDS represents the biggest single injection into the budget for HIV-AIDS-related activities.In addition to funds allocated for procuring anti-retroviral drugs, the State is to allocate another N$7 million for HIV-AIDS programme development.More than 180 000 Namibians are reported to be living with HIV-AIDS and were responsible for six per cent of all admissions to public health facilities last year.