A comparison of the delivery of antiretroviral therapy system between Brazil and India

The similarities in size, trend of the epidemic, the generic drug industries and the high poverty levels between India and Brazil help to draw comparisons with regards to their ART delivery system. In Brazil, the Unified Health Systems, created in 1988 to address the health care needs of PLWHA, played a crucial role in the implementation of the policy of free universally available ART. Brazil used its resources to train physicians with the latest standards of care in the diagnosis, counseling and treatment of HIV/AIDS as well as to set up a 424 AIDS Drugs Dispensing Units (ADDU). SILCOM and SISCEL are seen as Brazil's most valuable tools in overcoming the challenges that face efficient delivery of ART. In phase I of the National AIDS Control Program, India selected fifteen institutions in six states to train physicians on counseling, diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS. Each hospital set up has an anti retroviral unit for adults and children with a family meeting room to discuss coping mechanisms related to their treatment. Each unit has a research officer, a counselor, a record keeper and a computer with a printer. The record keeper at each unit keeps track of the monthly progress report and performs quarterly cohort analysis. India and Brazil facing similarly challenging situations with HIV/AIDS have a lot to learn from each other to improve their deliver systems of ART for PLWHA.