HIV/AIDS research essential for NEPAD goals.

THE Health Adviser for the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), Eric Buch, says research plays an important role in the fight against AIDS.

Professor Buch was speaking today (11 May 2004) at the second African Conference on Social Aspects of HIV and AIDS Research, underway at the Cape Town's International Convention Centre.

‘Research enables us to wisely and efficiently use the limited resources we have for prevention, care and impact mitigation.

It helps us to understand need and behaviour, opens up new strategies and supports operational effectiveness. It also provides us with the ability to monitor, evaluate and revise our programmes,’ he said.

However, Professor Buch said the primary focus of research should be to enhance efforts to fight the AIDS epidemic rather than to confirm that donor money was being well used.

‘There has been significant research in this field and we need to work harder to bridge the ‘research to policy to practice gaps’ that occur all too frequently by making our research findings more accessible and widely known,’ he said.

He said in order for the African continent to achieve its health and AIDS goals, information and evidence was much required.

‘And there is no better place to get it than from research led with the unique wisdom and insight of Africans.’

Prof Buch said health was a prominent Nepad priority, whose strategy was to dramatically reduce the burden of disease, especially for the poorest people in Africa by 2015.