US embassy cable - 04MADRID4290

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 004290 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR S/GAC, OES/IHA, AND EUR/WE. 
HHS FOR OS/OGHA/BUDASHEWITZ. 
CDC FOR GLOBAL AIDS PROGRAM. 
GENEVA FOR HEALTH ATTACHE. 
DEPARTMENT ALSO PASS TO EST COLLECTIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SOCI, KHIV, SP 
SUBJECT: SPANISH GOVERNMENT POLICY ON HIV/AIDS AT HOME AND 
ABROAD 
 
REF: MADRID 3835 
 
1.  Secretary of the Spanish National AIDS Plan Lourdes 
Chamorro Ramos briefed ESTHOFF November 4 on her office's 
domestic and international activities/priorities.  Chamorro 
Ramos, the highest ranking Spanish Government official 
focusing solely on HIV/AIDS, indicated that her office has a 
good handle on the nature of the HIV/AIDS problem in Spain 
and is adequately funded to combat it.  New HIV infection 
rates continue to decline since their 1994 peak and Chamorro 
Ramos does not believe a resurgence is likely. 
 
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DOMESTIC PRIORITIES 
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2.  Reflecting the lack of "crisis," Chamorro Ramos said she 
was currently focusing on three priorities:  (A) whether to 
target prevention activities on the infected vice general 
population a la the U.S. practice; (B) how to balance the 
infected population's right to privacy with the national 
health system's need to disseminate information about 
infected individuals; and, (C) how to convince all hospitals 
to perform transplants on infected individuals (i.e., 
destroying the myth that such procedures can only be 
conducted in specialized facilities). 
 
3.  Regarding prevention activities, Chamorro Ramos indicated 
that she might be interested in sending some of her staff 
members to the U.S. to study specialized prevention programs 
that focus on infected individuals.  ESTHOFF offered to 
assist in brokering desired meetings/visits. 
 
4.  Regarding the right to privacy, Chamorro Ramos said that 
the Spanish HIV/AIDS NGO community had mounted a successful 
legal challenge to a 2001 draft law that attempted to achieve 
a proper balance between privacy and dissemination.  As a 
result, her office was building on the failed law to draft a 
new statute that would satisfy all stakeholders.  The revised 
text was currently in the consultation phase with the NGO 
community. 
 
5.  Regarding transplants, Chamorro Ramos used the example of 
liver transplants to illustrate the problem.  She said that 
there are 20 public hospitals in Spain that perform liver 
transplants, but only 10 had so far agreed to perform such 
transplants on individuals infected with the HIV virus.  She 
stressed, however, that the GOS was attempting to address 
this problem via information campaigns vice Ministerial 
coercion. 
 
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INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES 
------------------------ 
 
6.  Chamorro Ramos openly acknowledged that Spain is not/not 
a key player in international efforts (multilateral or 
bilateral) to combat HIV/AIDS worldwide.  Spain's most 
significant activity is its 100 million euro donation to the 
Global AIDS fund.  This donation covers the 2003-6 period (25 
million euros each year for four years).  50 million euros 
has already been dispersed (covering 2003/4); the remaining 
50 million will be provided in 25 million increments in 2005 
and 2006.  Spain has also donated 400,000 euros to UNAIDS and 
1 million euros to the World Health Organization (which is 
earmarked for distribution by the Pan-American Health 
Organization to anti-AIDS programs in Latin America). 
 
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COMMENT 
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7.  Chamorro Ramos is Spain's point person on HIV/AIDS both 
at home and abroad (though she stressed her office does 
not/not control the budgets of Spain's international HIV/AIDS 
activities).  While the nature of her position would of 
course imply a strong defense of her office's domestic 
activities, we believe she was not/not blowing smoke when she 
described an adequately funded national health effort that 
has a good handle on the HIV/AIDS problem in Spain.  If 
Chamorro Ramos can focus on privacy and transplant-related 
issues, that suggests to us that the malady itself is under 
control.  Several NGOs do not agree and have publicly argued 
that the government has consistently underestimated the 
gravity of the HIV/AIDS situation in Spain.  But this is 
understandable.  It is, after all, their raison d'etre. 
However, the lack of general public controversy over HIV/AIDS 
suggests that the GOS does have this problem well under 
control. 
ARGYROS