|
Rachel Cook
Advocates for HIV/AIDS research are calling
for immediate action by health officials over a looming funding crisis.
The Victorian AIDS Council/Gay Men’s Health
Centre (VAC/GMHC) and People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) Victoria have
welcomed an allocation of funds in the Victorian government’s latest budget
aimed at reducing rates of HIV transmission and the prevention of other communicable
diseases.
But the executive director of VAC/GMHC, Mike Kennedy, says the Commonwealth Government’s inaction has put Australia’s world-renowned HIV research programs
at risk.
“Seven weeks from the end of the financial
year, we have no guarantees from the Commonwealth government that funding to
continue the vital work of these [research] centres will be available after 30
June,” Kennedy said in a media statement.
“The Commonwealth is only too willing to
champion the Australian HIV partnership internationally as world’s best
practice, but its inertia is slowly choking the life out of a key arm of the
partnership.”
Professor Marian Pitts, director of the
Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) told MCV that, “the situation is the worst it
has ever been".
“We used to receive funding in blocks of
three to five years, [but] that length keeps diminishing, so the funding comes
in every six or twelve months; and the quantum has not changed in last ten
years, so in effect we get less and less money.”
“It means that because there is no
long-term stability, we never know if the funding will come from one year to
the next. High quality researchers have left the HIV field for more secure
support in other areas, so in this regard the damage has already been done. It
will take a major injection of funds to rectify this situation.”
ACON (formerly known as the AIDS Council of
New South Wales) also expressed their concern.
“The provision of good and timely research is
essential for ACON and other HIV/AIDS organisations to be able to respond effectively
to the HIV/AIDS pandemic,” Michael Badorrek, ACON’s Media and Communications manager told MCV.
“To this end, ACON works closely with a range of research agencies to
make sure that our programs and services are based on up to date information
and evidence.
“The capacity of these research bodies
to produce good work is dependent on their respective funding arrangements, and
unless this situation is addressed, we are concerned that it will affect the
evidence base that we use to plan and provide effective and relevant programs
and services,” Badorrek concluded.
The peak non-government organisation
representing Australia's community-based response to HIV/AIDS, the Australian Federation
of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) say they have been concerned about the state of
funding for the last “three or four years.”
AFAO’s executive director Don
Baxter told MCV: “We have been
highly critical of the previous minister [Tony Abbot] for not making a decision
on this, and the Department of Health and Ageing hasn’t done much about it
either; however, we are being patient and expect to meet with Minister Roxon
this month,” he said.
 |
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form
