Resource requirements to fight HIV/AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Economists and epidemiologists from ten countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) reviewed the methods used to develop estimates for resource requirements to address HIV/AIDS prevention and care in low- and middle-income countries. They applied their country-specific knowledge to re-estimate costs coverage and capacity of their health and education systems to expand HIV/AIDS interventions by 2005. The reasonably small discrepancy between the model estimates and those of country specialists totaling US$ 173 million provides some confidence in the overall consistency and reliability of the estimating procedures. The most important difference between the model estimates and those of the country specialists was in the estimated future price of HAART. In essence the estimates of the model reflect the efficiency gains that could result from purchasing arrangements that lead LAC countries to lower prices for ARVs. This preliminary exercise with ten LAC countries confirmed the validity of the use of these estimates as tools at the international level – both to guide the allocation of resources across diseases and countries and for advocacy and resource mobilization. With the country revisions these estimates have also been shown to be key tools for country-level strategic planning. (excerpt)