Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Holy See’s permanent observer at the UN offices in Geneva, Switzerland, made this appeal during the fourteenth regular session of the Human Rights Council.
Archbishop Tomasi said that his delegation wished to raise additional concerns regarding the need for effective action in order to guarantee universal access to medicines and diagnostic tools for all persons.
The archbishop added that right to health was universally recognized as a fundamental right, yet children were particularly deprived of access to medicines.
Archbishop Tomasi lamented that many essential medicines were not developed in appropriate formulations or dosages specific for children.
The Holy See diplomat reported that of the 2.1 million children estimated to be living with HIV infection, only 38 percent were received life-saving anti-retroviral medications at the end of 2008.
Archbishop Tomasi commented that there were no child friendly medications to treat the HIV infection.