Health Ministry silent on reason for limited HIV medication supply

Health Ministry silent on reason for limited HIV medication supply

By Rashika Kumar
Thursday 14/11/2024

Serious questions are being raised about what led to the limited supply of crucial HIV medication, prompting the Health Ministry to regulate its distribution.

This comes as the Ministry says they only have supplies sufficient for a one-month dose per patient.

The Ministry says this includes Antiretroviral (ARV) medication also known as Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) which are a combination of drugs used to treat HIV.

They say this medication prevents HIV from replicating and destroying CD4 cells, which are an important part of the immune system.

It also prevents mother to child HIV transmission.

The Ministry says they have ordered HIV medication through the United Nations Development Programme mechanism through a signed agreement.

They say they are currently following up with the suppliers and hope to have additional supplies by the end of this month.

They further say at the moment, there are alternative medication regimens that HIV patients are consuming however, the Ministry will be closely monitoring supplies.

As at June this year, there are 552 confirmed cases of HIV/AIDS in the country.

The Health Ministry is yet to respond.

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