HIV-positive Brazilians depend on a combination of local, state and national government programs to deliver treatments that keep many of them relatively healthy. These programs have inspired AIDS activists looking for possible solutions for other developing countries.

Brazil's federal government is responsible for buying and distributing antiretroviral drugs, such as those that make up the "triple cocktail" credited with prolonging many lives. Also, the Brazilian Ministry of Health sets guidelines for treating those with HIV according to decisions made by advisory committees that meet annually. States and municipalities are responsible for treating the opportunistic infections that often plague those with full-blown AIDS.

Public laboratories produce 12 of the antiretroviral drugs the Ministry of Health distributes, while the ministry purchases the remaining drugs. Supplies of some domestically produced drugs are sometimes augmented with purchases from pharmaceutical companies that lowered their prices and won government contracts.

Typically, patients receive antiretroviral drugs from one of the country's HIV/AIDS outpatient services centers, which also offer counseling services. As of March 2002, there were 381 of these outpatient centers in Brazil.

The ministry's National STD and AIDS Program has a computerized system that handles the logistics of distributing drugs and is being used in the largest outpatient service centers. That system, which in 2001 covered about 65 percent of those receiving the drugs, maintains a nationwide patient register and uses cards resembling credit cards, which are issued to patients to certify their antiretroviral prescriptions. This system checks for prescription errors and notifies doctors of any mistakes.

Aside from access to antiretroviral drugs, assistance to those with HIV includes several programs administered by states and municipalities. These include care in a patient's own home and access to centers where they can receive medical care during the day. The system cuts down on the number of patients admitted to hospital, thus saving the government money.

Beyond simply providing treatment for HIV/AIDS, the Brazilian government since 1988 has guaranteed free overall health coverage for all citizens. Brazil's Systema Único de Saúde, or SUS, is a decentralized public health system that gives local governments much of responsibility for managing their own health services. While the system is publicly funded, private non-profit and for-profit organizations provide many of its services.

-- By Karyn Schwartz, Online NewsHour