From June 25 to 29 was held in Abidjan, at the initiative of the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC), a sub-regional educational workshop aimed at providing participants with the content and key elements throughout of the HIV cascade to build their knowledge for effective advocacy in their region.
This workshop was organized to meet a need, as explained by Innocent Laison, President of the Regional Advisory Council (CCR) of the ORCT-WA Regional Observatory Project on Community Treatment in West Africa. "We felt the need to bring together the various people responsible for implementing this program in the 11 countries concerned and those in charge of collecting data to identify avenues for advocacy so that together we can have a clearer idea of the action of the virus and know the constraints to ensure better treatment in West Africa. »
Over the course of five days, the work and exchanges made it possible to come up with several ideas, the most important of which revolve around access to the viral load.
Then there are intellectual property issues. According to Mr. Laison, trade agreements on drugs constitute a barrier to access to treatment.
"We must advocate with those in charge (Presidents of the Republic, Ministers of Trade,) in order to review and why not remove all barriers to access to medicines," he urged.
Finally, access to treatment, which requires a long-term investment, will come up against the question of financing. It is therefore necessary, apart from the Global Fund, that the States implement strategies which make it possible to increase domestic investments in health, he advises.
The CCR of the Regional Observatory on Community Treatment, through these lines of advocacy will therefore commit ECOWAS and the AU to ensure that these barriers are broken down to allow people living with HIV to have quality treatment. .
The International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) is a global network of activities working to ensure access to optimal HIV treatment for all who need it.
Over the past 15 years its focus on providing access to HIV treatment and other life-saving medicines has made ITPC a model of excellence in direct therapeutic education, informed advocacy and community monitoring of HIV. 'Health care access.
ITPC wants to continue to invest in the energy, skills and informed action of people living with HIV working together for equity in medicines and care.