Using untapped resources. An expanded concept of infrastructure for community-based ARV advocacy.

There are some 40 million people living with HIV in the world and yet only a tiny fraction receives life-sustaining antiretroviral treatments. Access to care treatment and support is thus a central focus of advocacy efforts. Drug pricing in particular has been taken up by the advocacy community resulting in recent decreases in the cost of ARVs. However cost and availability are not the only determinants of access. A study conducted by ICASO in 2002 identified several other barriers to access ARV treatment notably related to the issue of infrastructure. The results of this exploratory community-based research point towards the outline of an expanded framework of infrastructure that could provide a solid foundation for accessing ARVs. (excerpt)