New Delhi (Mizzima) – In Burma Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) drug for HIV/AIDS patients is running short despite of its urgent need, an activist that worked for the welfare of the victims said.
While the number of patients is rising by the day, the much needed drugs are not to be found in the market, causing grave concern for the patients, Phyu Phyu Thinn, a volunteer who is helping and caring for over 2,000 patients, said.
"NGOs in Burma are not being able to provide these drugs to patients at the moment. The death rate related to the disease will escalate as the drug is not available from other sources along with medical facilities," a volunteer Phyu Phyu Thin told Mizzima.
According to a report issued on Wednesday by the France NGO Medicine Sans Frontier (MSF), about 250,000 HIV/AIDS patients are likely to die this year if they do not get treatment. But Phyu Phyu Thinn said the figure could be an underestimate and that it could be even higher.
"MSF collected this data officially, but these figures are just estimation. The death rate may be even higher than the MSF estimated in its report," Phyu Phyu Thin said.
The root causes of the rising new cases and higher death rate in Burma are ineffective AIDS awareness campaign unlike in Thailand. Also patients are too shy to report the cases and seek treatment in secrecy instead.
Phyu Phyu Thin said that Rangoon based NGOs are not accepting new cases due to inadequate medical supply.
"They are still providing ART drugs to the old cases. But they can provide blood test service only to new patients. They cannot provide even the vitamins and other common drugs. They said that they do not get assistance anymore from donors," she said.
According to MSF's estimate, there are over 200,000 HIV/AIDS patients in Burma of whom over 75,000 need emergency treatment. There are only limited medical facilities which can provide ART drugs in Burma. The two most popular facilities are AZG clinic run by MSF and another in 'Waybargi' hospital in North Okkalapa.
According to statistics issued by UNAIDS, over 360,000 people are affected by the HIV virus and the medical expenditure borne for AIDS eradication campaign in Burma is merely about USD 100,000.
UNAIDS said that the per capita medical expenditure in Thailand is 250 times the amount spent in Burma.
