§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what assessment he has made of the availability of retroviral drugs for pregnant women with AIDS in(a) Malawi, (b) Kenya and (c) South Africa. [116405]
§ Hilary BennFollowing a constitutional court ruling in 2002, the South African Government agreed to make Nevirapine available to all pregnant women for the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV. The Government have begun rolling out the provision of Nevirapine, although availability varies between the countrys nine Provinces and is not yet universal.
There are a number of pilot programmes for antiretroviral therapy (ART) and prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT). The Malawi Global Fund proposal for $198 million over five years, approved in August 2002, includes substantial financial allocations for ART and PMTCT. Clinical guidelines are being developed, but there has been limited progress in addressing equity and targeting issues to date.
271WIn Kenya, availability of ART is limited to several small pilot projects. However, Kenyas application to the global fund has been approved in principle; it includes $36 million for HIV including the provision for ART for pregnant women. The plan is to cover 10 per cent. of those pregnant women in need of ART in the first year increasing to 60 per cent. by year 4. In making this decision on coverage they took into consideration the support systems required to deliver ART to pregnant women, such as voluntary counselling and testing and adequate medical staff. DFID spends £6.5 million a year on HIV/AIDS in Kenya and is helping the Ministry of Health to develop a comprehensive strategy to deliver ART effectively.