It’s very good news that the Global Fund is re-opening for business. Now we can stop wasting time, which is the most precious resource in this fight against HIV, TB and malaria, because wasting time is wasting lives. The new funding window at the Global Fund needs to be opened as soon as possible, be as big as possible, and be open to all affected countries to support treatment scale-up. Now is not the time to be conservative and keep money in the bank that could go toward getting life-saving pills into peoples’ bodies.

Over the past few years the sense of urgency which once defined the work of the fund has become greatly diminished, and the board basically gave themselves a holiday instead of stepping up and doing their job and ensuring that the funding shortfall was made up. On the one hand, they have a new ambitious strategy for change; and on the other, they have effectively closed for business. And it is this lack of coherence that we find troubling – and patients will come to find deadly.

If nothing is done, it is highly likely that the 15,000 people currently on the waiting list and in urgent need of ARV drugs will be dead within three years. As horrifying as that number is, it represents only the tip of the iceberg when you realize that most people living with HIV/AIDS in DRC do not know their HIV status. Many will die in silence and neglect.

I have worked with HIV-positive patients in many countries in central and southern Africa, but what I’m seeing in the Democratic Republic of Congo has not existed elsewhere for years. The situation here reminds me of the time before any antiretroviral (ARV) treatment was available. Our doctors face serious complications every day that could be prevented if patients received early ARV treatment.

This commitment today is the shot in the arm that the global HIV/AIDS response needs right now. We hope this marks the end of donors walking away from supporting global HIV/AIDS, despite evidence that the epidemic can be reversed. People living with HIV around the world will be watching Congress closely until it approves President Obama’s budget request to help turn this commitment into reality. Now it is time for all governments – both donors and affected countries alike – to step up, fund the Global Fund, and increase the pace of HIV treatment scale-up, so that the effort to end AIDS is not derailed.

Our doctors and nurses started treating people with HIV in developing countries a decade ago, in the face of widespread skepticism, and yet today half of the people who need treatment now have it. This is the best time to charge full speed ahead and get treatment to everyone who needs it so we can save lives and get ahead of the wave of new infections.

It’s very gratifying to see how grateful the patients are for the care and attention we give them. Our input isn’t only medical; it also consists of moral support, as many of the patients are having a hard time and have lost their hope in life. Seeing them regain their confidence and strength is really rewarding.

Right now, we’re in an absurd situation where the signposts all point in one direction to get a handle on HIV/AIDS, yet the funding crunch is pulling us the opposite way. We have to act fast and reach as many people as possible to save lives and avoid slipping back, but countries can’t do this alone.

We go and find them in their villages and offer extra support for them to come back for their appointment, then we follow up and ensure they are taking their drugs correctly, but we also visit patients when they are at a critical point of their treatment or are experiencing side effects and need more support.