People living with HIV in Cambodia need second and third line treatment

As we know there is not medicine to cure HIV yet. So we have anti-retroviral therapy (ART) to treat people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the world; it can stop people from becoming ill for many years. The treatment consists of drugs that have to be taken every day for the rest of a person’s life.

Not so different from other countries, Cambodia is one country where there are more than fifty thousand people affected HIV and some of them are now on HIV treatment provided by health staff from the Royal Government, Ministry of Health.

Mr. Keo Chen, Coordinator of CPN+ in Cambodia said that “Nowadays, there are around 5% PLHIV in Cambodia who are resistant to first line ART and are going to access second line treatment and there are a few resistant to second line treatment as well”.

Chen added that “It is very expensive. Because it is so expensive doctors try hard to educate PLHIV to maintain their health while taking first line treatment.”

Dr. Mean Chhi Von, Health Advisor to Ministry of Health and Director of National Center for HIV/AIDS Dermatology and STDs (NCHADS) was quoted by Rasmei Kampuchea daily newspaper in February saying: “There are 90% PLHIV access ART for first line and another around 5% treatment on the second line whose price 500$ per person for a year if compared who use the first line is 92$ per person for a year.”

Chen added that “CPN+ commits to work in collaboration with NCHADS, National AIDS Authority (NAA), representatives of PLHIV both in Cambodia and other PLHIV network, as well as other civil society organisations who are implementing HIV programmes in Cambodia to help the Royal Government of Cambodia to lobby donors to contribute funds to support second and third line treatment for PLHIVs”.

Chen also said: “Please donors do not stop funding and keep continuing to help PLHIV’s and respond to the three zeros of the United Nation (UN) strategies.”

Cambodia has vowed to achieve the UN principle to get to the three zero strategy: “zero new infections, zero discrimination, zero AIDS-related deaths” by 2020.

However, due to the global financial crisis HIV and AIDS donors such as the Global Fund have been forced to cancel or reduce their funding to fight HIV and AIDS in developing countries. This is of great concern for developing countries fighting the disease.