Obstacles and Proposed Solutions to Effective Antiretroviral Therapy in Resource-Limited Settings

More than 3 million people were receiving antiretro-viral therapy (ART) at the end of 2007, but this number represents only 31 % of people clinically eligible for ART in resource-limited settings. The primary objective of this study is to summarize the key obstacles that impede the goal of universal access prevention, care, and treatment. We performed a systematic literature search to review studies that reported barriers to diag-nosis and access to treatment of HIV/AIDS in resource-limited countries. Persons living with HIV/ AIDS commonly face economic, sociocultural, and behavioral obstacles to access treatment and care for HIV. A variety of programs to overcome these barriers have been implemented, including efforts to destigma-tize HIV/AIDS, enhance treatment literacy, provide income-generation skills, decentralize HIV services, promote gender equality, and adopt a multisectoral approach to optimize limited resources. An under-standing of these obstacles and suggested methods to overcome them must be addressed by global policy makers before universal ART access can be achieved