HIV Medicine
Association marks World AIDS Day by calling for improved
health care

Daniel R. Kuritzkes, chairman of the HIV Medicine Association, released a statement on Thursday to mark World AIDS Day by calling for improved access to antiretroviral treatment for U.S. HIV patients and for top-quality care for all Americans infected with the virus.

"It is important to acknowledge that thousands of Americans with HIV/AIDS cannot afford good medical care or lifesaving drugs," Kuritzkes says in a press statement. "Funding for the safety net that has changed HIV/AIDS from a death sentence to a treatable disease here in America has not kept pace with the needs of the epidemic. There are clear signs that safety net is fraying."

Among the problems Kuritzkes points out is that the federal Ryan White Act has been flat-funded for the past five years and that Congress has failed to reauthorize the measure, even though it officially expired in the fall; that more than 2,000 people are on AIDS Drug Assistance Program waiting lists around the country; that Medicaid, the nation's largest provider of HIV services, is slated for $11 billion in funding cuts; and that the proposed budget for the National Institutes of Health is inadequate to keep pace with scientific developments in HIV research.

"We are witnessing a calamity for the most vulnerable people with AIDS, both here in the United States and throughout the world, Kuritzkes says. "This World AIDS Day we must do everything we can to keep the promise of lifesaving drugs and quality medical care for all people with HIV/AIDS."

The HIV Medicine Association is composed of 3,000 physicians, scientists, and other health care professionals dedicated to the field of HIV. The organization promotes quality in HIV care and advocates policies that ensure a comprehensive and humane response to the AIDS pandemic. For more information go online to www.hivma.org. (Advocate.com)