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Make cheaper HIV/AIDS treatment accessible
Indonesia has the lowest antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage in the region, even though the treatment is most important to maintain and improve the quality of life for people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV).
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Red ribbon (AIDS ribbon) with AIDS/HIV word on notice board (Shutterstock/Hafiez Razali)
I
ndonesia has an increasing HIV rate. Fueled by stigma and discrimination against the AIDS-affected population, the number of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) in the country is among the highest in the region. According to a government survey, roughly 640,000 people are living with HIV in Indonesia, with only 124,813 (19.49 percent) of them undergoing crucial antiretroviral (ARV) treatment.
Even as we commemorated World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, Indonesia was in an HIV/AIDS epidemic emergency.
The country has the lowest antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage in the region, even though the treatment is most important to maintain and improve the quality of life for PLHIV. Moreover, successful ARV treatment will also stop the spread of the infection to others.
Data from the Joint United Nations Program on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) shows that the prevalence of HIV among adults is 0.4 percent with 46,000 new infections, and 38,000 people dying from illnesses related to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) yearly.
Since 2004, ARV treatment has been given for free since the government provided full subsidies for ARV medicine procurement. However, due to the inefficiency of the procurement system, the price of ARV medicines procured by the government is among the highest in the world.
Annually, the government needs to provide approximately US$92 million (Rp 1.3 billion) to purchase ARV medicine that is only sufficient for about 180.000 PLHIV. This leaves a large number of Indonesians untreated, with no access to this life-saving medicine.
