Inequities in Global HIV Treatment
By Vincenza Caruana, Irmak Bektas & Jerome Bedard-Matteau
This post is part of a series of opinion pieces in diverse mediums focusing on the theme “What makes you mad about global health?” These submissions are by McGill students who were part of the course PPHS 511 Fundamentals of Global Health in Fall 2021.
Countries most affected by HIV/AIDS are the least able to pay for and have access to HIV treatment. COVID-19 and HIV treatment, testing, and prevention also constitute a major public health challenge due to the major disruption in healthcare services worldwide. There is a clear discrepancy between countries. When it comes to access to proper HIV/AIDS treatment and resources, low-income countries are at a disadvantage compared to high-income countries. Indeed, North America and Western/Central Europe represent about 2.2 million HIV patients with 78% access to antiretroviral treatment. In comparison, Eastern and Southern Africa have about 20 million people living with HIV and only 66% have access to HIV treatment. This has to change.
Acknowledgments:
We would like to thank Professor Madhukar Pai for setting and sharing this assignment results with us and the teaching assistants Alexandra Jaye Zimmer, Lavanya Huria and Angie Sassi for their support in coordinating the results.