ARV rollout hampered by Global Fund delays

The Malawian government was finding it difficult to access funds from the Global Fund, health officials said over the weekend. During his four-day visit to assess the government's free treatment programme, UN special envoy for AIDS in Africa Stephen Lewis was told that Malawi had only spent US $11 million in two years out of US $44 million pledged. Agence France Presse quoted Mary Shaba, the permanent secretary for nutrition and HIV/AIDS in the health ministry, as saying: "We believe his visit will help remove the bottlenecks that we are facing. The procedures to access the funds are very difficult." The rollout of free antiretrovirals has also been hampered by severe staff shortages. Malawi's initial target was to place up to 20,000 people on treatment by the end of 2004, but only 8,000 people currently receive the medication.