Healthcare for those with HIV/AIDS

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Just like the range of education services offered all over Africa the healthcare also differs depending on the country you are looking at.  A universal problem is the high cost of treatment and the lack of consistent resources such as antiviral drugs that are necessary for survival.

South Africa is looking to change this and has been ramping up their healthcare services over the past years in an effort to reduce the epidemic in the country.  South Africa has increased its treatment programs as well as its care available for those living with HIV.  The accessibility to antiviral medications is also being increased to better treat those already living with the disease.  The most interesting part of South Africa's healthcare system is its plans to implement a national healthcare system that will serve all South African's regardless of they employment status or ability to pay.  This system will provide care for those with HIV/AIDS (as well as other illnesses) and is part of the countries plan to upgrade to a country on par with the rest of the modern world.

Uganda has created a program to treat citizens titled 'Uganda Cares' which as of May 2011 treats over 50,000 adults and children who are affected by HIV and AIDS. Uganda is in eastern Africa and is a country that has greatly been affected by the AIDS epidemic. The Uganda Cares program has been around since 2002 and is responsible for bringing the first antiviral medications outside of the urban areas and to other areas of Uganda.  The organization is now one of the countries largest providers of HIV and AIDS care and its work has been recognized by groups such as the World Health Organization. The nice thing about the group is that they are a not-for-profit organization, although this does mean that they rely on donors in order to fund the resources they provide. Thankfully they have partnered with many organizations including Development Initiatives International and the Ugandan Ministry of Health in order to keep the programs running.

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Tanzania, like Uganda, is in eastern Africa and is actually the largest country in the region.  The country is extremely impoverished and much of the population lives in rural areas.  The HIV/AIDS population in the country is estimated at about 2.2 million and the number is only expected to grow.  The healthcare in Tanzania is only adding to the problem because the hospitals are referral based and they suffer large personnel shortages.  Over the last few years the country has tried to implement strategies to reduce the number of new infections including a push for male circumcision and a program to reduce the risk of injection drug users.  Tanzania also has a program similar to Uganda's if only by the name it is called 'Tanzania Care'.  The program is very similar to Uganda's in that the goal is to modernize the care provided in the country and train staff in how to better serve the growing HIV positive population.  Tanzania created the program in 2002 and while all goals have not been accomplished the country has significantly upgraded the care it provides to those living with the disease.


These are just a few examples of the healthcare that is offered in Africa in regards to those living with AIDS.  It does vary but it also shows the universal concept of improvement and the country is improving slowly.