title: Expanding access to antiretroviral therapy in sub-saharan Africa: avoiding the pitfalls and dangers, capitalizing on the opportunities.
abstract: We describe a number of pitfalls that may occur with the push to rapidly expand access to antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa. These include undesirable opportunity costs, the fragmentation of health systems, worsening health care inequities, and poor and unsustained treatment outcomes. On the other hand, AIDS "treatment activism" provides an opportunity to catalyze comprehensive health systems development and reduce health care inequities.However, these positive benefits will only happen if we explicitly set out to achieve them. We call for a greater commitment toward health activism that tackles the broader political and economic constraints to human and health systems development in Africa, as well as toward the resuscitation of inclusive and equitable public health systems.
authors.affiliation: Health Systems Trust, PO Box 808, Durban 4000, South Africa.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McCoy
authors.forename: Mickey
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chopra
authors.forename: Rene
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Loewenson
authors.forename: Jean-Marion
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Aitken
authors.forename: Thabale
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ngulube
authors.forename: Adamson
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muula
authors.forename: Sunanda
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.forename: Tendayi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kureyi
authors.forename: Petrida
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ijumba
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rowson
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D000328:Adult; D017954:Africa South of the Sahara / Q000453:epidemiology; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000639:trends; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents