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The Institute of Medicine (IOM)
recently released an independent evaluation of the President’s Emergency
Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), in which IOM praised PEPFAR’s achievements,
verifying that large-scale HIV services can be provided successfully. However,
the report, resulting from a 4-year study mandated by Congress in 2008, also
recommended several changes to the program to ensure that the HIV/AIDS response
is sustainable. The IOM report stated that PEPFAR’s work is unfinished and
recommended change in the following four broad categories: scaling existing
programs, helping countries strengthen their systems to improve HIV/AIDS
response, transitioning to a country-owned response, and improving knowledge
management.
PEPFAR, in existence since 2003, is
widely perceived as having successfully decreased HIV/AIDS prevalence
throughout the world. A UNAIDS December 2012 report found that HIV incidence in
25 countries declined by more than 50 percent and decreased by 20 percent
worldwide between 2001 and 2011. The number of AIDS-related deaths has declined
by almost one-third since 2005.
IOM’s PEPFAR report recommends that
the program must change from being an emergency response provider to being in
an advisory role so that PEPFAR will be sustainable. The report recommends that
other countries must begin to take ownership of their HIV/AIDS responses.
The IOM report states, “PEPFAR will
gradually cede control, as partner countries take on more central roles in
accountability and setting strategic priorities for investment in their HIV
response. The pace of transition will vary by nation, but such an evolution in
PEPFAR’s mission is vital.” David Haroz, State Department special assistant to
the principal deputy US global AIDS coordinator, declared that PEPFAR has long
been planning for this transition, and notes that in some countries, such as
South Africa, the change has already begun.
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF)
is concerned that PEPFAR will be unable to transition to countries without
sacrificing the progress that it has made. Omonigho Ufomata, AHF's director of
Global Policy and Advocacy, explained in an e-mail interview that AHF does not
want to see a transition to country ownership if that means patients have a
more difficult time accessing care. “We want all that the United States can do
along with all that the South African government can do. So long as there are
still people dying of this disease and we witness overflowing waiting rooms, we
don't want to see transitions.”
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.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
