April 3, 2009
11:30 AM
Suffering people flock the steps of the hospitals in Myanmar. These clinics that provide aid for AIDS and H.I.V. patients are running out of room and out of funds. Myanmar ranks lowest in per capita income they receive for aid. Doctors Without Borders stationed in Myanmar have about 23 clinics distributing antiretroviral drugs in order for the people to survive. Without these drugs, those contracted with H.I.V. or AIDS will die, and so the importance of this medication is monumental. An estimated 240,000 people are currently infected with H.I.V. in Myanmar. Out of those, over 76,000 are in urgent need of antiretroviral drugs. About 25,000 people with the virus die every year. The clinics have been providing 11,000 people with the drugs to keep them alive. The only problem is, the longer the people stay alive, the more drugs they need. The groups cannot afford pulling out of their budget to help care for the new patients showing up every day. Last year they had to refuse new suffering patients in order to afford caring for the existing patients. This meant that people were dying on the steps of their clinic, but there was nothing they could do to help. United Nations Global Fund to Fight AIDS, is working on bringing antiretroviral drugs into Myanmar, therefore the number of people receiving treatment is likely to rise. Fewer than 20 percent of the people who need the drug receive it. Those who have come to get treatment have usually sold all of their belongings, as well as their families belongings to receive this life saving (or life sustaining) treatment. The constant need for this drug, however, provides a large obstacle in the continuing treatment of these people.
Lack of funds are always a large part of the suffering of many people around the world. There are so many places to which money should go to, but when there is a lack in this resource, choices have to be made. It is devastating to know that people had to be turned away from treatment for this reason. More aid should be aimed toward Myanmar, as you can see their funding is lacking in the first place being so low on the list of humanitarian financial aid.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/01/world/asia/01iht-myanmar.html?ref=asia
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