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Given long-term concerns about the sustainability of external funding of South Africa's HIV/AIDS efforts, the government should reach out to the private sector to find new ways to finance this work, the head of the South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS said Monday. Coalition CEO Brad Mears noted that the worldwide recession has led international donors to reduce their contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. South Africa, with the world's largest HIV/AIDS epidemic, is dependent on external donors like the Global Fund and the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program to help combat the virus.
However, South Africa also is one of the few African countries that can afford to commit significant funds to its epidemic. The private sector may be able to help bridge the gap, said Mears.
"Can we not pair donor funding with that of private equity to provide the capital injection needed to address human capacity constraints and develop much-needed infrastructure development?" Mears asked. The government, with the right leadership, could direct discussions with the private sector in this regard, he suggested.
Mears spoke ahead of the launch of the coalition's Community Fund, a campaign to raise 500 million rand (US $72 million) by the end of next year to support the government's goal of testing 15 million people by June 2011. The initiative is part of an overall plan to boost HIV prevention and treatment programs; the government aims to halve the number of new HIV infections between 2006 and 2011 and to ensure that 80 percent of patients needing antiretroviral treatment can access the medicines. Mears noted the Community Fund campaign will extend through next December.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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