Has Eleven Myanmar got it right?

If about 3,200 receive ART out of 4,300 who need it then at 74%, people living with HIV in Mandalay are getting close to universal access, defined as 80%.

Jamie

**************************

HIV patients in Mandalay in need of ARV drugs
Eleven News
Friday, 20 September 2013 16:02

With more than 7,500 HIV-positive residents in Mandalay, the demand for anti-retroviral therapy (ARV) drugs in central Myanmar is greater than ever, according to authorities responsible for distributing the drugs.

The outbreak of HIV-related illness has been on the rise in Myanmar. In Mandalay Region, 3,269 HIV-positive residents in seven townships had access to ARV medication by August of this year. However, the number of HIV-positive people in Mandalay who still require the drugs is more than 4,300, according to the Union Office in Myanmar, a non-governmental organization that provides the drugs in conjunction with the Ministry of Health.

“It is not easy to collect exact data on the number of patients across the country,” a doctor who provides medical assistance to HIV-positive residents said.

“There is a discrepancy between the number of HIV-positive people in this country and the number of those people who have access to the drugs. Currently, the government and other organizations provide ARV drugs to patients. Anyone who can confirm an HIV diagnosis from the government’s laboratories can receive the medicine free of charge at the government’s health departments or from other organizations that provide the drugs.”

Once a patient is diagnosed with HIV, he or she can gain access to medicine with a physician’s approval after receiving attention from a specialist.

According to the Union Office in Myanmar, Mandalay leads the country in HIV-positive residents, with 7,569 patients in seven townships. Yangon is next with more than 1,900 patients registered at Thakata Township Hospital, followed by Pakokku Township, with more than 1,400 patients registered.

http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/national/3458-hiv-patients-in-mandalay-in-need-of-arv-drugs