1 October 2010 | Angeline Albert
“Weak procurement” has contributed to
government and charitable health organisations’ failure to hit a global target
for HIV prevention and care according to the World Health Organization(WHO).
The comments follow the publication of a report
produced by the WHO, United NationsChildren’s Fund(UNICEF) and Joint United NationsProgramme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
which presents the progress made in 144 countries towards achieving the
2010 target of providing universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and
care.
The WHO statement said: “Obstacles to
scaling up HIV treatment persist in most countries, including funding
shortages, limited human resources, and weak procurement and supply management
systems for HIV drugs and diagnostics and other health systems bottlenecks. One
third of countries reported at least one or more cases when supply of HIV
medicines had been interrupted in 2009.”
Achieving uninterrupted supplies of drugs
for antiretroviral therapy to counter HIV is described in the report as “a
major challenge”.
The study said: “Greater efforts must be made to identify and address
bottlenecks in drug procurement and management, particularly in the context of
an expected increase both in the number of people on treatment and complexity
of drug regimens, as more patients move from first- to second- and third-line
antiretroviral regimens.”
It added that once potential low stock issues are identified,
governments and partners - through close collaboration and information sharing
- must assess regional stock levels and reallocate them as needed. It said when
facing a drugs shortage on national level, countries should make an emergency
order to other international partners with buffer stocks.
