Rob.Bates@ncar.UCAR.EDU (Rob Bates) (09/19/89)
[Reproduced with permission from Melbourne Star Observer #104, 8 Sept 89]
Australian AIDS groups have criticised the Recent Federal Budget for not
providing enough new funding for AIDS treatment, research and education
programs.
The increase in the total funding for all AIDS programs, including treatment,
is to rise by about 40 per cent in 1989-90, with a committment by the
Government to maintain the same rate of increase for the next four years.
Prior to trelease of the budget, AIDS groups had called for the AIDS budget to
be more than doubled.
AIDS groups pointed out before the budget was handed down that new funding
would soon be needed to fund treatment with AZT. The federal government
currently pays for the expensive anti-viral drug, which has recently been
approved in the US for treatment of healthy HIV infected people as well as the
current approval for HIV infected people with full AIDS.
The fixed budget over the next four years combined with the increasing cost of
AZT treatment for a larger number of HIV infected people may well result in
cut-backs to essential education and research programs.
The Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations, the AIDS Council of NSW and
other figures in the field have expressed public concern at the AIDS budget,
describing it as "inadequate" and "near-sighted."
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