The costs of anti-retroviral treatment in Zambia.

This report analyzes the costs and resource requirements associated with the provision of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy in the public health sector in Zambia. It provides per-patient cost estimates for highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) voluntary counseling and testing several opportunistic infections and prevention of mother-to-child transmission services. These per-patient cost estimates are used to project total program costs which are then compared to currently budgeted resources with an emphasis on financial sustainability. The report also explores a range of policy issues including the importance of human resource constraints; the implications of alternative monitoring protocols and drug regimens; opportunities for resource mobilization; and targeting issues. The provision of ARVs in Zambia is a dynamic issue: certain programmatic decisions have yet to be made and both prices and technologies are changing rapidly. Thus the purpose of this report is to highlight the key questions related to HAART costs rather than to propose any definitive answers. (authors)