Ministry of Health Asks Government to Subsidize AIDS Victims

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:The Department of Health has asked the central government to subsidize AIDS victims who need active treatment. Minister of Health Ahmad Sujudi said the government was expected to subsidize 50 percent of the total cost of treatment every month. I think the president will approve this request, he said at the State Palace on Thursday (6/3). He went on to say there were 120,000 victims of AIDS in Indonesia, 600 of whom needed active treatment. According to the minister, these figures will possibly continue to increase. AIDS victims who need active treatment have to consume anti-retroviral drugs (ARD) that allow them to carry out their activities normally. However, this sort of treatment is very expensive. Sujudi explained that the cost of ARD treatment was as much three million Rupiah per person per month. Therefore, Department of Health has to find a solution to cover the high cost. We have cooperated with Thailand by importing materials for the medicine from there, he said. This cooperation has reduced the cost by up to Rp400,000 per month. However, this is still too high for the government to be expected to provide subsidies of up to 50 percent of the total cost. The subsidy will be given to the poor, and those who are able to meet the cost will have to pay it in full, said Sujudi. (Deddy Sinaga --- TNR)