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The Structural Adjustment Programmes of creditors such
as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank
force indebted countries to slash government spending
and introduce user fees for health and education services
thereby reducing access for the poorest. Millions of
people remain vulnerable to the risk of infection whilst
the vast majority of the world's HIV positive population
have little hope of receiving treatment or support.
High levels of illiteracy and low levels of access
to mass media and information hinder AIDS education
awareness campaigns. Christian Aid report that without
a decent education Africa's children are more vulnerable
to contracting the virus in later life; 25 per cent
of 15-19 year olds in Zambia still do not know how to
protect themselves from infection.
HIV/AIDS is a social and an economic catastrophe. Over
12 million children across the continent have been orphaned.
The pandemic is putting enormous pressure on health
care systems in countries like Zambia where approximately
50 per cent of hospital beds are occupied due to an
AIDS related illness. Furthermore, experienced personnel,
both semi-skilled and highly trained, are being lost
in all sectors, including education, social welfare,
and agriculture. For example, in Zambia the number of
teachers dying of AIDS related causes in 1998, was equivalent
to two thirds of all new teachers trained that year.
Twenty per cent of the population of Zambia are HIV
positive. The country needs to spend $25 on each person
annually on healthcare; however at the moment it is
spending less than $3 per person per year. Meanwhile
Oxfam International report that debt servicing for 2001
in Zambia will be 6 times greater than public spending
on health.
Due to the predominantly sexual transmission of HIV/AIDS
in Africa, the pandemic is concentrated among the most
productive members of society, those aged between 15-49.
HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects sectors such as
agriculture, transport and mining that are highly labour
intensive or have large numbers of mobile or migratory
workers. HIV/AIDS has the greatest impact on countries
that rely on agricultural exports, which earn vital
foreign exchange needed to pay the debt. The HIV/AIDS
pandemic is reducing the labour force, productivity,
outputs, overall economic growth and national food supplies.
As noted by Oxfam International HIV/AIDS creates a vicious
circle. The pandemic is reducing economic growth, which
increases poverty and which in turn accelerates the
spread of HIV/AIDS.
Response from Creditors is not good enough
Malawi is a heavily indebted poor country with nearly
16 per cent of its population testing positive for HIV.
In August 2000, Malawi turned down a loan of $40 million
from the World Bank. The loan was for AIDS treatment
and prevention, but the deputy Prime Minister of Malawi
said that it would be immoral for such a heavily indebted
country to accept another loan that it really had no
hope of repaying. If his country were to have a chance
to fight AIDS they would need a grant and not another
loan.
Debt Cancellation is urgently needed to combat the
spread of HIV/AIDS
The Taoiseach Bertie Ahern recently uttered such sentiments.
On June 26th 2001 Bertie Ahern addressed a special session
of the General Assembly of the United Nations on HIV/AIDS.
In his speech he supported the urgent need for debt
cancellation for countries with a high prevalence rate
of HIV/AIDS.
Debt and Development Coalition Ireland urge the
Taoiseach to take action on his words by pressing the
World Bank and International Monetary Fund and rich
country governments to cancel the debts owed to them
and allow heavily indebted countries fight the spread
of HIV/AIDS.
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