Oct 24, 2013 Deputy Secretary General on Health Ivi Normet Gonsiori 29, 15027 Tallinn Dear Mr. Rõivas, Ms. Erlenheim, and Ms. Normet, Deputy Secretary General on Health Normet, Linda Clinic is a joint project of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and the Estonian Network of People Living with HIV in Narva. The non-profit Clinic was established in 2011 to provide specialized HIV/AIDS care and antiretroviral treatment to underserved communities in the city. In May 2013, Linda Clinic petitioned the Ministry of Social Affairs to provide antiretroviral (ARV) treatment medication for its patients. The Clinic has the right to receive this medication as a registered provider of medical HIV/AIDS services in Estonia. Ms. Ivi Normet, Deputy Secretary General on Health at the Ministry of Social Affairs denied this request in a letter dated July 9, 2013 without adequately substantiating her decision. We believe Deputy Secretary Generals refusal has no legal basis and does not follow the protocol of the Administrative Procedures Act. Linda Clinic is of the opinion that Ms. Normets decision is misguided. The situation with HIV/AIDS in Narva is dire. The city with a population of 63,092 people, of which 96% are ethnic Russians, has the highest HIV prevalence in the country at 3.4%. There are 2,170 people living with HIV in Narva, of which 60% are current or former drug users who can receive care by only one specialized infectious disease physician. In practice this means that only 20% of the patients who live with HIV in Narva have access to life saving medications. This is obviously not acceptable! The Clinic is trying to fill a critical treatment and quality care gap by providing services to hard to reach populations that are not accessing medical care through traditional channels. Without treatment HIV/AIDS can be fatal, but with treatment it is a manageable chronic disease. People on treatment are 96% less infectious. Therefore, any delay in providing treatment to these patients will cost lives and result in co-infections and a series of new infections. The former Minister of Social Affairs, Mr. Hanno Pevkur, had committed in the presence of Ms. Normet to provide ARVs to Linda Clinic during a meeting with the AHF President Michael Weinstein in 2012. This would happen if in turn AHF agreed to fund the establishment of the clinic and its administrative expenses. AHF has held up its part of the agreement, investing a considerable amount of funds to make Linda Clinic into a state of the art medical facility and implementing patient centered work model. Unfortunately this commitment has not been reciprocated due to Ms. Normets refusal to follow through on Minister Pevkurs commitment. The refusal to provide anti-retroviral treatment to Linda Clinic, which is a registered provider of medical HIV/AIDS services in Estonia, undermines the right of patients with HIV to make a choice for the best standard and quality of care and the enjoyment of health. We strongly urge you to review Ms. Normets decision and overturn it by granting Linda Clinic access to ARVs immediately. The lives and wellbeing of Estonian families depend on it. Sincerely, Mr. Dmitriy Suvorov Russia Perm, None 059
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 19:12:48 +0000
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