access to treatment and care

Access to HIV-treatment drugs and cocktails varies across the region as a whole, in part due to widely differing drug prices. Several intra-regional initiatives are raising the prospect of increased availability in some countries, the Bahamas and Barbados included. In mid-2002, the Pan-Caribbean partnership against HIV/AIDS signed an agreement with six pharmaceutical companies as part of large- scale efforts to better access to cheaper antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. According to the Pan American Health Organization, people living with HIV/AIDS in the Bermuda and Cayman Islands now have universal access to antiretroviral therapy (ART). In addition, they estimate that approximately 400 patients have access to ART in Barbados (about 33% of those in need), 880 in the Bahamas, and 600 in Trinidad and Tobago. Fewer than 5% of patients in Jamaica have access to ART. Under Cuba's socialized health care system all HIV/AIDS patients are receiving medical care and drugs in similar fashion, including AIDS treatment drugs, free of charge. There are small-scale treatment initiatives in Haiti, notably the Clinique Bon Sauveur in Cange, which currently provides antiviral medications for approximately 300 HIV-infected people.

analysis:access to care

global | australia and new zealand | caribbean | east asia and pacific | e.europe and central asia | latin america | middle east and north africa | north america | south and south east asia | sub-saharan africa |
western europe