Mahama carries Africa’s voice at UNAIDS/Lancet meeting
Africa's voice was heard loud and clear at the high-level meeting of UNAIDS/Lancet Commission held in London on February 14 and 15, 2014.
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And in the forefront was President John Dramani Mahama, who is one of three heads of state serving as commissioners on the group.
High Points
Among the issues that touched me most and I believe many others that sat in the conference were HIV/AIDS treatment and care, and funding in Africa.
These high points were raised and strongly advanced by the President who, without any shred of doubt, carried the voice of Africa at the meeting.
It was an opportune time for him to say that in spite of the relative progress made in the fight against the pandemic on the continent, there is still much for the world to do to support Africa reach the expected in the battle against the scourge especially in the post 2015 era.
Ably adding to Mr Mahama's position was Mr Michel Sidibe, who is the Executive Director of UNAIDS.
A Malian national, Mr Sidibe, who is also the Under Secretary General of the United Nations, spoke passionately about Africa and HIV/AIDS and said the continent cannot be left behind in the HIV response.
Post-2015
The United Nations has set the year 2015 for a universal access to the treatment of AIDS but it appears Africa is behind time in reaching the goal. That is why the commission , which was established in May, 2013 and brings together heads of state, policy makers, people living with HIV, development experts, young people and private sector leaders, is looking at the post 2015 era where it hopes to catalyse expertise and political momentum to shape the debate on the future of HIV and health, and accelerate progress towards the end of AIDS.
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And when President Mahama suggested global support for the local production of anti retroviral drugs (ARVs) as one sure way of reaching the millions in need of treatment with the ARVs he received loud applause from the gathering.
The President maintained that that was the surest way to addressing the problem of accessibility and affordability of the drugs on the continent.
African pharmaceutical companies have the wherewithal to produce the drugs once the support comes.
Access to ARVs
In 1987, when the first ARV drug, azidothymidine (AZT) got the approval of the United States Federal Drug Authority for the treatment of AIDS, accessibility and affordability to millions living with the disease in Africa was not forthcoming as was in the developed world.
At the 13th World AIDS conference in Durban, South Africa in 2000, activists and other interest groups demanded equal access to treatment, but it was not until 2004, when treatment reached Africa through the support of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
South Africa is the largest consumer of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the world. UNAIDS figures indicate that about two million in South Africa are now on ART compared to one million in 2009. The strategy for that country is for three million to be hooked to the ART by 2015. In Cote d'Ivore one-third of women living with HIV in 2011 did not have access to treatment.
And against the backdrop of a complex and complicated supply chain regime in many Africa countries, the result has been high prices and sometimes questionable drug quality.
Doubtless, the past few years have seen some modest improvement in accessibility to drugs but the situation is far from reaching the optimum looking at the region's infection figures. In 2010, only five million out of the 10 million in need of the drugs were able to access the drugs.
Currently, 9.2 million people out of the 22.9 million people living with HIV have access to ART.
Africa's carries stark statistics about the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The continent is home to an unacceptable 63 per cent of the global figure of people living with HIV and AIDS.
The pandemic comes along with catastrophic social and economic consequences.
Uneven distribution of ARVs
The fact that drug distribution entails a lot of resources both financial and human, puts African countries in a disadvantageous position. One needs strong financial standing and a well-grounded health system to get the drugs to the people living with AIDS.
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In his speech at the London meeting, President Mahama drew an example from home when he said, in Ghana, access to ARVs depends on which part of the country one lives.If you live in a rural northern town or village your access to quality care is more difficult than the one who is in Accra or any of the cities." The danger in this include dislocation in treatment.
Funding
The Global Fund to fight AIDS has been the key funding organisation alongside others including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation but in recent years, there has been a cut back in funding and Africa countries have had to rely on domestic funding to get things going.
Domestic spending on HIV/AIDS in many Africa countries including Ghana, South Africa, Uganda and Kenya had gone up by more than 100 per cent in the last 10 years.
But the efforts of these nations are not enough, looking at the enormity of the global challenge.
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There is, therefore, the need to increase global support as national AIDS control programmes expand beyond governments.