A wildly successful new NHS scheme shows how easy this could be. But a lack of funding and resources is holding us back
- Deborah Gold is chief executive of the National Aids Trust
Today is World Aids Day: a time to show solidarity with people living with HIV/Aids across the world, and remember those we have lost. But solidarity and remembrance have limited purpose if they’re not combined with a meaningful commitment to fighting this epidemic. Earlier today, the government published new data that shows it’s not on track to meet its long-term commitment to end new HIV transmissions by 2030. This goal should be entirely achievable– yet without immediate action, it risks slipping even further out of reach.
For years the numbers of new diagnoses of HIV have been steadily declining. But in 2021, HIV cases increased for the first time since 2014. This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who works in the sector. Sexual health services are funded by local authorities, which have been hit by years of austerity-driven public health cuts (the sector has had its funding cut by 24% in real terms since 2015). This period of chronic underinvestment has been made much worse by the impact of the Covid pandemic.
