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`Provide ARV drugs free to HIV patients'

By Feroze Ahmed

CHENNAI: APRIL 6

With Tamil Nadu leading the country in the number of declared HIV positive

cases, activists and professionals in the health care sector have made a call to

the State Government and the Centre to provide anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs free,

at least to patients below the poverty line.

Such a move would not just improve the lives of the patients, but, importantly,

bring back to work a huge chunk of productive population, thus resulting in

sizable economic returns to the State, say activists, citing the experience of

Brazil - a nation with similar, if not worse, socio-economic conditions.

Basic AIDS drugs cost about Rs. 1,500 a month, but through negotiations and

State intervention the prices could be brought down to about Rs. 1,000, say

doctors.

" ARV treatment would help about 90 per cent of AIDS patients get back to work

within three or four weeks (after treatment starts), " says C.N. Deivanayagam,

former Director of the Tambaram TB Sanatorium. Most of the patients are in the

productive age group of 19-44 years, he points out.

In Tamil Nadu, according to officials, the State would have to spend only about

Rs. 20 crores annually for providing ARV drugs free to about 15,000 deserving

BPL cases.

Case of TB patients

Activists draw attention to the socio-economic benefits the State reaped by

providing free drugs to TB patients.

A recent statement by the Joint Review of the TB Control Programme states that

the country has saved " more than Rs. 1,300 crores in economic costs " through its

nationwide programme.

(The National AIDS Control Organisation - NACO - advocates use of ARV drugs only

in certain cases, especially for prevention of mother to child transmission of

the virus.)

A study on `Increasing access to ARV drugs to moderate the impact of AIDS'

spells out the success of the Brazilian experiment: " By offering universal ARV

coverage, the Brazilian Government saved more than 472 million dollars between

1997 and 1999, by avoiding 1,46,000 hospitalisations and treatment of

opportunistic infections.

In 2001 alone, Brazil saved an estimated 50 million dollars over and above what

it spent on its national AIDS programme. "

The economic benefits of ARV treatment are obvious, it says.

" Treatment increases patient survival and enables people to return to their

families and to work.

ARVs decrease the need to treat opportunistic infections and hospitalisations.

It has already been proven cost effective in developed countries " .

In Tamil Nadu, a committee has been formed to look into the economics of broad

basing the State's ARV treatment programme, but, according to doctors, it is yet

to meet on the issue.

The call for free AIDS drugs has also to do with a point-of-view being debated

hotly, which suggests that after years of focus on preventing the spread of the

virus, it is now time to look at ways to provide AIDS patients a better quality

of life.

A greater portion of funds flowing into the country for AIDS control activities,

activists and doctors urge, should be directed towards such efforts.

Another demand being mooted in case the State rejects the suggestion to provide

free treatment is to at least waive the tax on ARV drugs.

While Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh have already exempted certain ARV drugs from

sales tax, Tamil Nadu levies a 10 per cent sales tax and a 5 per cent surcharge.

A tax waiver on basic ARV drugs would result in a loss of only about Rs. 25

lakhs to the State, officials point out.

Source: The Hindu

(http://www.hinduonnet.com/2003/04/07/stories/2003040704200500.htm)