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Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) last week challenged national governments, international organisations and donor countries to dramatically expand AIDS treatment programmes in the developing world.
The medical relief group said in a statement ahead of World AIDS Day that the fight against AIDS was being held back by a lack of funds from donors who were not taking their responsibilities seriously.
"We have shown through our projects that it is feasible to effectively treat people with HIV/AIDS in poor settings - for us, every day is AIDS Day," said Dr Bernard Pécoul, director of the MSF Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines.
MSF has been caring for people living with HIV/AIDS in developing countries for years, and has provided antiretroviral therapy (ART) since early 2001. In the past six months, MSF has doubled the number of patients receiving ART in its projects.
The organisation now provides treatment for about 2,300 people living with HIV/AIDS in diverse health care settings in 10 countries: Cambodia, Cameroon, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda and Ukraine.
"But we and other NGOs can never reach all the people in need. Governments need to implement national ART programmes. Treatment needs to be free or patients need to be able to afford it. For this to happen, we need cheaper drugs, and simplified treatment protocols that are adapted to developing country settings - one pill a day for 20 cents," the statement added.
The group also urged countries of the North and South to market combination therapies which are easier to use.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions