Funding decline for a U.S. government HIV/AIDS initiative raises concerns

A U.S. government agency whose mission is to help save the lives of people around the world living with HIV and AIDS has seen a steep drop in funding for an important part of its budget. The finding, from a UCLA study, could be a cause for concern because many countries rely on the agency to help pay for vital health care services for people with the disease. The United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, was launched in 2003 and is now the world’s largest health assistance program focused on a single disease. The agency, which is funded by the federal government, helps pay for antiretroviral therapy, HIV testing, counseling and other programs for tens of millions of people around the world. PEPFAR’s budget is divided among five core activities: prevention, care, treatment, management and operations, and governance and systems. The latter category, which receives about one-sixth of the organization’s overall funding, supports infrastructure for delivering HIV- and AIDS-related services, particularly in low-income countries. But the study, published in the May issue of the peer-reviewed journal Health Affairs, found that after its budget increased each year from 2004 through 2011, the unit’s funding declined slightly in 2012 and 2013, and then by 33 percent from 2013 to 2014, to $448.6 million. The agency’s overall budget declined from 2013 to 2014, but by a much smaller amount, 7 percent, to a total of $3.4 billion. Courtesy of Corrina M...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news