[afro-nets] AIDS Patients Surpass ARVs

[Kelvin Musibi <musibi_1999@yahoo.com>]

AIDS Patients Surpass ARVs
--------------------------

Although a few countries have achieved a measure of success in
controlling incidence of HIV/AIDS, the number of people needing
treatment continues to rise tremendously.

Costs associated with antiretroviral drugs [ARVs] and other
medicines for HIV related problems are still very high and may
remain so for a very long time. The price of medication is still
a significant barrier to HIV/AIDS treatment in developing coun-
tries and more so where health insurance is limited and where
available ones do not cover HIV/AIDS.

Even the very lowest available prices are unaffordable for most
patients in Kenya where more than half the population lives on
less than a dollar a day. A case in hand is Nyanza and Western
Provinces of Kenya which last month were reported to consume
about 65 per cent of the country's financial allocation to
HIV/AIDS campaigns. These two regions according to National AIDS
Control Council lead in AIDS prevalence, with a district [suba]
in Nyanza having a prevalence rate of 42 per cent.

At Nyanza General Hospital the referral hospital in the province
only 1,200 out of 7,000 AIDS patients can access free anti ret-
roviral drugs. Patients enrolled at the hospitals comprehensive
care unit were initially charged USD 7 for the drugs but this
amount was waived because the patients could not afford it. De-
spite the overwhelming number of patients infected with HIV/AIDS
the hospital will only adhere to WHO stage 3 regulations, these
require that patients with CD4 counts of 200 and below and those
suffering from oral thrush, tuberculosis, hair loss, skin le-
sions and body weakness be given priority. Due to this the re-
maining patients cannot be put on ARV, they are instead advised
to maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating a balanced diet, an
impossibility going by their income levels. This scenario also
leads to problems like discrimination of the poorer people and
problems in applying eligibility criteria. Surely something
needs to be done. What can be done?

Kelvin Oliver Musibi
Executive Director, KEEG
Kisumu-Nyanza, Kenya
mailto:kmusibi@keeg.kabissa.org