In one of the most exciting and dynamic sessions in this conference so far, members of a Conference audience sharply criticised economists who suggested that providing ARV in resource poor settings was not “cost-effective.”

One member of the audience stopped a presenter mid-way, shouting, “This is bullshit. We are tired of listening to people who tell us why ARV can’t be available to poor people. This would never be tolerated in the North.”

Challenging the audience to join her in the protest, she said, “It is impossible for positive people to sit here and listen to this. Will all the positive people in this room please stand up.” There was no response and she left the room alone.

There were plenty of criticisms at the end of the presentations, however. These ranged from disagreeing with the premise and methodologies of the studies to a clear call for placing access to ARVs as the starting point of the study.

“The job of the economist is to see how available resources can be used in the best possible way that can benefit people. It is not to decide that they should not be used to provide treatments,” said Jean Paul Moatti, an economist from France. Others agreed.

A presentation by S S Forsythe of the Futures group that conducted studies in African and Asian countries concluded that costs in all cases were higher than the benefits. However the MNC that commissioned the research decided to go ahead with providing the therapy to infected employees, their spouses and children.

Another study by researchers from Berkeley University, concluded that prevention was far more effective. In his presentation, A Boulle from South Africa suggested that a rationed ARV treatment programme was a possible solution in resource scarce settings.

Summing up the mood in the packed room, a man from Nigeria commented, “These people are showing us the pros and cons of treatment. But most of us here have moved on. We just want the medicines made available to the people who need them.”

AIDS 2002 Conference News produced by Health & Development Networks/Key Correspondent Team