Aids hurting Botswana’s budget
By, Sunday Times, November 27, 2006
Botswana is currently spending 6% of its national budget to fight HIV/Aids and international donors contribute the equivalent of a further one%.
"Actual spending over 2005 was 1.14 billion pula (185.4 million dollars) of which 900 million pula (79% - 146.4 million dollars) came from the Botswana government.
International donors contributed 228 million (20% - 37.1 mln dollars), the private sector 11 million (one% - 1.8 mln dollars)," a week-end statement from the Office of President Festus Mogae said. The 2005/06 national budget was 15.8 billion pula (2.6 billion dollars).
These are the first detailed figures of the financial cost to Botswana of the epidemic. They were the findings of a National AIDS Spending Assessment and had been released at a meeting during the week of the National Aids Council, chaired by Mogae.
Botswana has one of the world’s highest rates of HIV infection.
The preliminary findings of the Botswana Aids Impact Survey indicated a 17.7% overall infection rate of the 1.7 million population, including 34.4% of the high economically active group of 25 to 49 year olds.
Citizens are entitled to free anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs; pregnant women who test positive also get drugs to prevent them passing the infection to their unborn children. The overall fight against HIV-Aids also includes free testing, counselling, and extensive education programmes.
Other health spending, of which a significant part is inevitably related to illness incurred or exacerbated as a result of HIV infection, accounts for approximately 8.8% of the annual national budget.
The assessment found that approximately 60% of Government spending on HIV/Aids went towards treatment and care, 20 percent towards assisting orphans and vulnerable groups.
Spending by international donors was focused on human resource and programme development, and prevention programmes.
Along with 14 other countries, Botswana benefits from the five-year (from 2004) 15 billion dollar US Presidential Emergency Plan For Aids Relief (Pepfar) and during 2004 was allocated 18 million dollars, in 2005 43 million dollars and in 2006 54 million dollars.
The Global Fund to fight Aids, malaria and tuberculosis (part funded by Pepfar) has started implementation of a 18.6 million dollar (100 million pula) programme in Botswana, Achap (the African Comprehensive HIV-Aids Partnership between drug companies Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) is providing additional funding and Merck is donating quantities of ARV drugs.
Sapa
Source: http://www.suntimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=329229
Botswana is currently spending 6% of its national budget to fight HIV/Aids and international donors contribute the equivalent of a further one%.
"Actual spending over 2005 was 1.14 billion pula (185.4 million dollars) of which 900 million pula (79% - 146.4 million dollars) came from the Botswana government.
International donors contributed 228 million (20% - 37.1 mln dollars), the private sector 11 million (one% - 1.8 mln dollars)," a week-end statement from the Office of President Festus Mogae said. The 2005/06 national budget was 15.8 billion pula (2.6 billion dollars).
These are the first detailed figures of the financial cost to Botswana of the epidemic. They were the findings of a National AIDS Spending Assessment and had been released at a meeting during the week of the National Aids Council, chaired by Mogae.
Botswana has one of the world’s highest rates of HIV infection.
The preliminary findings of the Botswana Aids Impact Survey indicated a 17.7% overall infection rate of the 1.7 million population, including 34.4% of the high economically active group of 25 to 49 year olds.
Citizens are entitled to free anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs; pregnant women who test positive also get drugs to prevent them passing the infection to their unborn children. The overall fight against HIV-Aids also includes free testing, counselling, and extensive education programmes.
Other health spending, of which a significant part is inevitably related to illness incurred or exacerbated as a result of HIV infection, accounts for approximately 8.8% of the annual national budget.
The assessment found that approximately 60% of Government spending on HIV/Aids went towards treatment and care, 20 percent towards assisting orphans and vulnerable groups.
Spending by international donors was focused on human resource and programme development, and prevention programmes.
Along with 14 other countries, Botswana benefits from the five-year (from 2004) 15 billion dollar US Presidential Emergency Plan For Aids Relief (Pepfar) and during 2004 was allocated 18 million dollars, in 2005 43 million dollars and in 2006 54 million dollars.
The Global Fund to fight Aids, malaria and tuberculosis (part funded by Pepfar) has started implementation of a 18.6 million dollar (100 million pula) programme in Botswana, Achap (the African Comprehensive HIV-Aids Partnership between drug companies Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) is providing additional funding and Merck is donating quantities of ARV drugs.
Sapa
Source: http://www.suntimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=329229
posted by AIDS-Care-Watch at 10:28 am
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