HIV treatment and antiretroviral medicines for foreigners in Brazil

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Foreigners who are in Brazil can have access to HIV treatment and medication as well as any Brazilian citizen. In the Information Note nº 3/2018 (DIAHV/SVS/MS), issued on February 15, 2018 by the Brazilian Ministry of Health, it was clarified that the policy for universal access to HIV treatment in Brazil is also a right for foreigners who are in Brazil, whether they are residents or not. Students, tourists, refugees, people with or without a visa have this right.

The treatment and the medicines don’t cost anything for foreigners. In Brasil, the Federal Law nº 9.313, from November 13, 1996, ensures assistance to people living with HIV and free supply of antiretroviral medicines.

The assistance is granted by the Unique Healthcare System (SUS), available in every region of the country, including small cities far from large metropolitan areas.

HOW TO OBTAIN ANTIRETROVIRAL MEDICINES

As well as Brazilians, foreigners also need to go through a doctor’s appointment in order to get a drug-dispensing form. It is possible to check out the addresses of specialized care units on the website aids.gov.br through this link.

The antiretroviral drugs should be obtained for free from a Drug Dispensing Unit (UDM), a governmental department that works as a drugstore. The UDM might be located at the same establishment, or, in case it isn’t, it is possible to get an information about the closest unit there.

REGISTRATION

The antiretroviral drugs supply is controlled by the Medication Logistics Control System (Siclom). It is possible to download the registration PDF file on this link. All SUS patients undergoing antiretroviral therapy (TARV) must be registered in the system through the Drug Dispensing Unit, including foreigners.

Since 2015, the registration started to include the characterization of foreign patients, once the goal is to qualify information, not to create barriers. The request for proof of residence, for example, should be reconsidered in the case of refugees, who may not have a fixed address.

“When it comes to a transmissible infection such as HIV, facilitating the prevention, the diagnosis and the treatment for all individuals is essential to achieve effective control over new cases and deaths”, says the infectologist Rico Vasconcelos, UOL Viva Bem‘s columnist.

If the patient already uses different medicines from the ones used for initial treatment in Brazil, the doctor should send an evaluation request to the regional technical board.

TREATMENT AND/OR MEDICATION UNITS

In order to find units that provide health services and government organizations that provide care, prevention, diagnosis and treatment actions to people living with HIV, it is necessary to search on the following link:

http://www.aids.gov.br/pt-br/acesso_a_informacao/servicos-de-saude

For more information: aids.gov.br

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