The Agua Buena
Human Rights
Association

San José Costa Rica
Teléfonos: (506) 2280-3548
P.O.Box: 366-2200 Coronado

DEFENDING THE RIGHTS OF MINORITIES IN CENTRAL AMERICA






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Lastest articules:

Marzo 2008: A Call for transparency in the preparation of Round 8 Global Fund Grant Proposals in Latin America

Noviembre 2007: Response from the Director of the Global Fund to the Open Letter from Richard Stern

Octubre 2007: An Open Letter to Dr. Michel Kaztchkine, Director of the Global Fund


During the past two years, while living in Costa Rica, I have traveled to Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador, working with People Living with AIDS to assist them in the process of forming strong organizations so that they will be able to effectively act against the massive social and medical discrimination that they face.

 In Costa Rica, People With AIDS have had great successes and they are now a truly empowered group with excellent lobbying capacities. The dramatic success of the triple therapy in reducing mortality and returning seriously ill people to being part of the productive labor force indicates that the expense of the new medications is being balanced out by very tangible economic benefits in the society.

There is a report which has been released which indicates that the Costa Rican government has saved money by buying the triple cocktail because of reduction in hospital bed utilization and State pension paid to people with AIDS.

The increasing visibilization of the AIDS affected population, also has a significant positive impact on prevention. In Panama, there is very strong patient group, PROBIDSIDA, led by an M.D., Orlando Quintero, who is a PWA. Their Supreme Court appeal to receive retroviral medications was rejected in December based on technical grounds, but they will shortly be submitting a new appeal. In Nicaragua and Honduras, the situation is grim and discouraging.

The effects of Hurricane Mitch placed AIDS related issues on the back burner, and the patient led groups in these two countries still do not even have basic medications for opportunistic infections. ARV therapy seems totally unaccessible in the near future.

"Working for access to medication and treatment for people that lives with VIH/AIDS in Latin América & the Carribean"


Guillermo Murillo Costa Rican AIDS activist, with Richard Stern, Director of the Agua Buena Human Rights Association.

 

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