Article
Treatment for HIV/AIDS in Brazil: strengths, challenges, and opportunities for operations research
Registro en:
BASTOS, F. I. et al.Treatment for HIV/AIDS in Brazil: strengths, challenges, and opportunities for operations research. AIDScience, v.1, n.15, 2001.
Autor
Bastos, Francisco Inácio Pinkusfeld Monteiro
Kerrigan, Deanna
Malta, Monica Siqueira
Cunha, Claudia Carneiro da
Strathdee, Steffanie Anne
Resumen
Brazil is the only middle-income country to provide free, universal access to antiretroviral (ARV) therapy for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Currently, the Brazilian National STD/AIDS Program provides ARV therapy to over 95,000 people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). But a successful HIV/AIDS treatment program must provide more than drugs. It must offer a comprehensive set of services along the continuum of care and support, including promoting early entrance into care, facilitating adherence to ARV therapy especially among vulnerable
populations, integrating psychosocial support services into care, ensuring that access to ARV therapy does not lead to unintended behaviors, and providing ongoing training to medical personnel and psychosocial support staff. Additionally, the ARV therapy and related support
services must be affordable. Brazil has been engaged in a permanent effort to foster national production of ARV and to negotiate substantial discounts with international drug companies.
This paper outlines Brazil's significant achievements in creating and sustaining access to ARVs and other anti-AIDS drugs as well as developing innovative care and support services with which to respond to the multifaceted needs of PLWHA in Brazil. The paper also reviews the improvements in AIDS-related mortality and morbidity and subsequent cost savings attributed
to the provision of universal access to ARV therapy in Brazil.