Burkina Faso government urged to increase health budget as country faces ARV stock outs

"Burkina Faso's Network for Access to Essential Medicines (RAME) has called on the Burkinabè government to increase the budget allocation to the health sector to avoid interruptions to AIDS treatment," Inter Press Service reports. "Despite an emergency plan announced in January, which will see the government spend around one billion CFA francs -- two million dollars -- to procure AIDS drugs in this West African country, patients and civil society groups are demanding permanent measures to ensure the availability of antiretrovirals (ARVs) and reagents," the news service notes.

"According to RAME's coordinator, Simon Kaboré, there has been an interruption in the supply of drugs and reagents -- chemicals needed for routine testing -- which has hampered the fight against opportunistic infections," IPS writes, adding, "Furthermore, many AIDS associations are no longer putting new people on ARVs due to limited stock." Kaboré "says around 27 million dollars will be needed this year, but the amount raised from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and other partners is only around 13 million," the news service notes (Ouédraogo, 2/14).