Fridae

As the Thai government continues to develop its plans for inexpensive universal health care, more HIV/Aids activists are weighing in on which options the government should consider in providing medications for those infected with HIV.

At present, Prime Minister Thaksin's plan, slated to go into effect on April 1 in many places, does not cover medications for chronic illnesses like HIV.

"All people should be treated equally, whether they suffer from minor or chronic illnesses. There should be no exemption for any disease and the expense should not be the most important factor," said Nimit Thienudom, who works for Access, an AIDS counseling center, according to the Bangkok Post.

Suphatra Nakhapiew of the NGO on Human Rights Protection for Aids spoke out as well, saying that anti-retroviral drugs were an intelligent government investment.

The Director of the Government Pharmaceutical Organization, Krisda Manoonwong, is also concerned about the high price of HIV treatments, but must work with drug companies when developing plans to provide medicine. Patent protection prevents the organization from producing cheaper generic versions of many popular drugs, the director said.

However, the patents on some drugs - including Zidovudine - have expired, and the government could legally produce generic copies. There is a problem, however: Thailand's anti-retroviral-producing equipment is out of date, and production is slow.