Developing nations prioritise expenditure and social costs, like that for pubic health, are the first to be axed. The Human Development Report 2001 indexes the overall development by including the expenditure made on health related activities. Developing countries, specially India, come out culprits for ignoring the health of its citizens. On the other hand, the exhorbitant costs of medication, as in the case of AIDS treatment make life harder for people suffering in these countries. While governments need to commit more to health needs, an adequate regime for cheap drugs is also the need of the hour.
Cost of cure | ||||
High
costs of medication and cures prevent a healthy global population. The case of AIDS treatment is symptomatic |
||||
Switzerland | Kenya | Zambia | Uganda | |
Population | 7 million | 30 million | 10 million | 23 million |
People with HIV | 17,000 | 2,100,000 | 870,000 | 820,000 |
Cost of treating all infected people with antiretroviral drugs at global market prices, at about $12,000 a person a year (in US $) |
204 million | 25 billion | 10 billion | 10 billion |
Cost of treatment as per cent of GDP |
0.08 | 238 | 154 | 336 |
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