A papal foundation dedicated to
AIDS patients may expand its services to include a global program of
distributing anti-AIDS drugs, a Vatican official said.
The initiative would respond to the shortage of antiretroviral and other
drugs in poorer countries, where the vast majority of AIDS patients
receive no adequate treatment, Msgr. Jean-Marie Mupendawatu, secretary
of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Ministry, said in an interview
July 21 with the Vatican newspaper.
Msgr. Mupendawatu is a delegate to the Good Samaritan Foundation,
established by Blessed John Paul II in 2004 to provide economic support
to the sick who are most in need, particularly those suffering from
AIDS.
Msgr. Mupendawatu said the foundation planned to strengthen its
activity, especially in Africa, by increasing its promotion of donations
of pharmaceutical and medical material, and by working more closely
with local Catholic leaders to place the church in the forefront of the
care for AIDS patients.
To favor these efforts, he said, the foundation may open offices on
every continent, which would function in coordination with the central
office in Rome.
"The foundation is also studying the possibility of creating its own
'pharmaceutical center' which would allow the collection and
distribution of medicines in poor countries," he said. The center would
work in cooperation with other church agencies.
Msgr. Mupendawatu said that while more than 25 percent of the global
health care to AIDS patients is provided by Catholic institutions, the
church needs to do even more in the face of the epidemic, which infects
about 7,000 additional people each day.
One of the church's priorities is to help make "universal and free
access to treatment" a reality for all those infected with AIDS, he
said. Today, only about 5 percent of people with AIDS patients receive
adequate care, he said.
"It's enough to realize that the majority (of AIDS patients) in Africa
live on a dollar a day and cannot afford any treatment. Therefore, it's
necessary to reach the essential goal of no-cost drugs," he said.
Msgr. Mupendawatu said the church's insistence that education in
responsible sexuality be part of any anti-AIDS strategy has found
appreciation in scientific circles. The church's position is that
effective prevention of AIDS must include the abandonment of high-risk
behavior and the adoption of a "balanced sexuality" based on premarital
chastity and marital fidelity, he said.
He noted that Pope Benedict XVI's monthly prayer intention for July
evoked the church's commitment to AIDS sufferers: "That Christians may
ease the physical and spiritual sufferings of those who are sick with
AIDS, especially in the poorest countries."