About 2,000 people at risk are currently taking a drug that protects against infection with HIV. Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) announced on Friday that the treatment will now be expanded and made free (see video above).
Free HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is expected to be implemented before next summer and is recommended for men who have sex with men and partners of HIV-positive people. Currently, up to several hundred euros still have to be paid for the treatment. Selected pharmacies also offer PrEP for around 50 euros per month. “We are now making PrEP free because health – that is the point – should not be a matter of income,” the minister said. The draft resolution was submitted together with the ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS.
Regular checks necessary
A doctor’s prescription remains a requirement. Regular check-ups with a doctor and HIV tests are also necessary. According to Rauch, approximately 400 people are currently diagnosed with HIV each year. If the disease is diagnosed early and treated correctly, AIDS will not break out. Those affected are no longer contagious and now have the same life expectancy as the rest of the population.
“If taken correctly, PrEP works as well as a condom,” Andrea Brunner, director of Aids-Hilfe-Wien, said on Friday. She and her team are aware of cases where treatment was stopped due to rising prices and found to be HIV positive a few months later. Austria is now following the path of other European role models such as Germany and Spain.
More tests and consultations
“This not only protects people against this dangerous disease, but also saves health insurers from many times higher treatment costs after an infection,” praised the Homosexuality Initiative (HOSI) Vienna. The federal government will pay five million euros annually to social security for the treatment until the end of 2027. It is expected that 3,000 people will benefit from this. Tests and consultations should also be expanded.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
