US seeks to rein in AIDS program: Overseas clinic costs have tripled to $7b in 6 years

The Boston Globe reports:

US officials have asked some AIDS clinics overseas to stop enrolling new patients in a US-sponsored program that provides lifesaving antiretroviral drugs, in a bid to stem the rising costs of one of the most ambitious US assistance programs, according to interviews with doctors and official correspondence.

The move, which was prompted by tighter budgets as well as a debate over how limited global health care dollars can be spent most effectively, has sparked fears among AIDS advocates that the Obama administration is curtailing its commitment to a program that provides lifesaving drugs for 2.4 million people and that many view as President Bush’s most successful foreign policy legacy.

Currently, only about 40 percent of all those who need the drugs worldwide receive them, and demand for the expensive treatments remains high.

The central planners must make decisions!