Access to AIDS treatment in being generalized in Morocco, doctor

Access to AIDS treatment is being generalized in Morocco where every patient is costing taxpayers 200 Euros per day while it should cost only 250 EUROS per year, should the price of the drugs fall worldwide, revealed Monday, Pr. Hakima Himmich, chairwoman of the Moroccan Asociation of Struggle Against AIDS.

Doctor Himmich who was taking part in a meeting in Paris, ruled out the argument of some participants who said drugs prices have fallen in the past years.

She denounced the consequences of the globalization and the agreements reached in Doha (Qatar) by the World Trade Organization (WTO) on the public health sector citing as example, the health issue in negotiations under way between Morocco and the United States for the conclusion of a free trade accord.

Official figures released last month showed that the number of Moroccans affected by the AIDs Virus had reached 1,295.

These figures concern the period between 1986 and 2003, Moroccan health minister, Mohamed Cheikh Biadillah said adding that the number of HIV-positive individuals ranges from 13,000 to 16,000 cases.