Q&A in Parlimament on ARV roll out and the Global Fund

[Guest guest]

Dear all,

We have some interesting information regarding access to treatment vis-à-vis

India. This information has been obtained by raising questions in the

Parliament on treatment access addressed to the Minister of Health. The

replies by the Ministry of Health to the questions raised provide

significant insight on the number of PLHAs on treatment, resources available for

ART treatment etc.

As per the reply of the government in parliament, 1,80,000 people living with

HIV/AIDS will be provided ART by the year 2010. This essentially means:

Ø That ART will not be made available on the basis of need. If a

greater number of PLHAs need ART treatment they will be unable to access it.

Already current estimation of people requiring ART treatment in India is about

7,00,000.

Ø That the government is following a target oriented approach

vis-à-vis a rights based approach i.e. estimating resources, building

infrastructure and procuring drugs based on a target which is removed from the

actual number of PLHAs who will need access to treatment by the year 2010.

The parliamentary Q & A also provides information on the Global Fund. The

Ministry of Health confirmed that the Global Fund to India has already

sanctioned about Rs. Five Hundred Crores for the provision of ART treatment till

2010. The reply is silent as to how much money has been disbursed and utilized

till date.

Please find the text of the Parliamentary Q & A, dated 27th July 2005

reproduced below.

Warm Regards,

Leena Menghaney

Lawyers Collective HIV/AIDS Unit

E-mail: <aidslaw1@...>

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA: MINISTRY OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE.

LOK SABHA: UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 454 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 27TH JULY 2005.

ANTI-RETROVIRAL THERAPY

454.SHRI SURAVARAM SUDHAKAR REDDY: SHRI ASADUDDIN OWAISI: SHRI

NARENDRA KUMAR KUSHAWAHA:

Will the MINISTER OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that Government had announced a plan on

November 30, 2003 to place 1,00,000 HIV/AIDS cases on structured

anti-retroviral therapy by 2005 and 15-20% additional cases thereafter for five

years;

( if so, the details and the target achieved thereof;

© whether the Government’s attention has been drawn to a WHO-UNAIDS

report on global access to HIV Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) stating that in

India, ART coverage is a mearly 4-9

(d) if so, the details thereof;

(e) the reaction of the Government thereto; and

(f) the remedial measures taken by the Government to fight the deadly disease?

ANSWER: THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE (SMT.

PANABAKA LAKSHMI)

(a) Government had announced a plan for introduction of antiretroviral therapy.

Accordingly from 1st April 2004 ART was started in 8 government medical colleges

in the first phase and by the end of financial year 2004-05, 25 ART centre as

per target. The target of 1,00,000 patients was for December 2007 and not for

2005.

( The target for the year 2004-05 was to start ART at 25 hospitals and the

same has been achieved. Till now, 10,255 patients are put on ART at 25

hospitals. Additional about 9000 patients are taking ART from other government

centers like Defence, Railways, ESIC etc.

© to (e) News item in the Times of India dated 1st July, 2005 on WAIT for AIDS

THERAPY has been published indicating WHO-UNAIDS Report. The figure of 7.35 lakh

AIDS cases waiting for ART Therapy is not correct. The ART therapy available

only in 6 states is also not correct. ART therapy is currently available in 13

States through 25 centres. There are a total of 1,03,857 AIDS cases reported by

the States.

(f) The following remedial measures have been taken:

- GFATM Round four ART project has been approved by the Govt. for

Implementation of the ART services to 1,80,000 patients through 188 centers 6

high prevalence States and Delhi in a phased manner over a period of next 5

years.

- ART services are being extended in other states as well. Besides existing 25

ART centers additional 14 centers have been sanctioned for ART and it is planned

to extend ART services through a total of 100 centers by the end of current

year.

- Publicity is being carried out about availability of free ART services

- Training of doctors, nurses and other categories of staff is being

conducted so that all the centers implement ART effectively

- Laboratory facilities are being strengthened by providing facility of CD4

testing

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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA: MINISTERY OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE

LOK SABHA, UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 523. TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 27TH JULY 2005

FUNDS FOR ANTI-RETROVIRAL DRUGS

523. SHRI ANANDRAO V. ADSUL:

SHRI ADHALRAO PATIL SHIVAJIRAO:

SHRI RAYAPATI SAMBASIVA RAO:

SHRI RAVI PRAKASH VERMA:

Will the MINISTER OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Union Government has granted/released Rs. 504 crores from the

Global Fund for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria for providing anti-retroviral drugs for

HIV/AIDS patients to various States; and

( if so, the names of the States which got such grants alongwith the amount

granted to each State?

ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE

(SMT. PANABAKA LAKSHMI)

(a) & ( The Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria, that is, GFATM, has approved

the proposal submitted by the Government of India for grant of 122.668 million

US dollar equivalent to Rs. 564.27 crore for provision of free Anti Retroviral

Therapy (ART) to AIDS patients in the six High Prevalence States, that is,

Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland and TamilNadu and NCT

Delhi. This project is for total duration of five years, that is, to be

operationlised with effect from 1st August 2005 till 31st July 2010. Release of

funds for the first year is expected from GFATM shortly and as and when the

funds are received the same will be

disbursed to the concerned states. Funds approved for the project will released

to GOI by the Global Fund on yearly basis in installments as per the progress of

project implementation.

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