How shortage of antiretroviral drugs dey affect pipo living wit HIV for Ghana

Wen president of di network of pesin wey dey live wit HIV for Ghana begin receive calls from im members last week, im never know say na crisis matter dey hand.

Some pesin living wit di virus frustrate say antiretroviral drugs don short for di kontri facilities.

One of dem na Andrews (no be im real name).

“For sometime now, wen we go korlebu hospital for our drugs dem dey give we only small, e never dey fit last one month sef.”

Andrews tok say some of im friends for oda facilities no dey get any of di drugs sef.

Dis dey “affect our quality of life and productivity,” im tok BBC Pidgin.

Na so president of di network of pesin living wit HIV, Elsie Ayeh maintain say na serious wahala.

Elsie explain say some of di pipo don dey take overdose of drugs wey be for children sake of di ones for adults no dey di system.

“Instead say dem go take one adult pill a day, dem now dey take five children doses for morning anoda five for evening before di medicine go work,” im explain.

E also tok say some pipo no dey on top medication for four months sake of shortage of Abacavir/lamivudine for dia facilities.

Wetin dey cause shortage of di antiretroviral drugs

Oga for di Ghana AIDS commission Dr Kyeremeh Atuahene dey worry say plenty antiretroviral drugs don stuck for port since July sake of dem dey wait tax waiver from di goment.

Im tok say di situation be unacceptable sake of di drugs be donor-funded, wia be crucial for pesin living wit HIV for di kontri.

“Apart from those wey stuck for port, di few drugs wia dey di system too don expire,” e tok.

Some of di patients don dey report say dem dey force take di expired drugs sake of supplies no dey come.

Dr Atuahene say di reason di drugs dey di port be say di Ghana health service, under di ministry of health no fit clear dem since.

For one statement, di network of pesin living wit HIV tok say “di drugs be donor-funded at no cost to di state so im for no attract tax, but dem impound dem until say goment go pay AU tax, Ecowas tax and covid 19 tax on top di drugs.”

Dr Atuahene say di situation no good for pesin wey dey on dis drugs to survive.

Im say if dem no take di drugs daily, dia viral load go rise wia e go fit lead to AIDS related deaths eventually.

Goment dey under pressure to clear di drugs from di port

Di minority members of parliament say goment for issue di necessary tax exemptions so say dem go clear di antiretroviral drugs and oda consumables wey stuck for port, immediately.

Tok tok pesin for di minority MPs on di health committee, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh say make “goment implement automated tax exemption waiver system for such medical supplies so say di delays in clearing dem no go happun.”

Dem dey fear say na if dem no solve di situation, e go fit lead to increase in HIV transmission and death of patients.

For di pesin living wit HIV, if goment no address di matter, dia members go continue dey “forced medication break wey be unacceptable.”

Dis also mean say dia lives dey at stake.

Elsie Ayeh tok say “if di delay continue, di disease go develop resistance to antiretroviral medication and go cause severe liver and kidney problems.”

Oda groups and NGOs don dey put pressure on goment say make e do di right thing as soon as possible.

According to di Ghana aids commission, nearly 400,000 pipo dey live wit HIV for di kontri.

Out of di number 115,235 be male wia 239,692 be female.

All dis pipo for dey on antiretroviral therapy.

Di ministry of health don tok say di Ghana supply commission be di entity wey dey manage clearance of antiretroviral drugs on dia behalf for many years.

According to one statement, di ministry say dem don “issue di necessary tax waiver for dis batch of drugs on time.”

But di challenge be say “di volumes of di consignment dey mean say extra resources dey needed to clear dem.”

Na so dem tok di supply commission say make dem deal wit am.

“Di supply commission don dey take steps to secure extra funds wey go ensure say dem go clear di drugs by 13 October,” di health ministry explain.

Elsie Ayeh and Andrews say dem hope di ministry of health go ensure di drugs don reach di various facilities “as soon as possible to avoid a crisis”.