Romania denies over 1,000 HIV sufferers access to vital healthcare

Over 1,000 Romanians with HIV have seen gaps in drug therapy for over a month, making the carriers more sensitive to developing full-blown AIDS and spreading the HIV virus

May 2010 - From the Print Edition

The Romanian state has failed to ensure that around 15 per cent of the country’s HIV/AIDS carriers have consistent treatment due to a cash crisis in the health sector and bureaucratic hold-ups.
“When the treatment stops for more than two weeks, there are very high chances the HIV virus can become resistant to the patient’s treatment scheme,” says Iulian Petre, executive director of the National Union of HIV/AIDS organisations UNOPA.
All carriers had access to drugs as we went to press - but only until 10 May. Many patients fear that further interruptions are on the way.
“The medium and long term consequences of interruptions are simple - they involve death,” says Petre.
Since 2009 counties took over the budgets for providing drugs to HIV sufferers. But the Health Ministry’s purse - the National Health Insurance House (CNAS) - only provided enough money to counties for drug treatment for two months. Meanwhile CNAS did not receive money for drugs from the Ministry of Finance at the right time.
By the end of March, over 1,000 HIV carriers in 15 counties remained without treatment. Since pressure groups protested in mid-April, CNAS sent supplementary money for treatment to all these counties.
“This money can cover the treatment for a maximum three weeks,” says Petre. “We estimate that the drugs will finish again on 10 May.” UNOPA has no assurances from the state that treatment will be consistent in the future.
At present those who could spread HIV are two at-risk categories - injectable drug users and carriers who were children in social institutions between 1986 and 1992 and were infected by blood transfusions. Around 7,000 have survived from this period, most of whom have had adequate access to anti-retroviral therapy (AVT) in the last five years.
The AVTs suppress the virus, but cannot cure the carrier. If there is an interruption in treatment, the body can develop resistance to the treatment.
“If the doctors no longer have other efficient treatment solutions because they finished most options for the patient, the person is sentenced to death,” says Petre.
A breakdown in treatment also means the carrier is more infectious, so the spread of HIV becomes more likely.