Babies at risk as HIV medication in short supply - NSA-Ghana

There has been a shortage of medication for babies born with HIV within the last two months, President of the of Non–State Actors-Ghana (NSA- Ghana), Cecilia Senoo, has said.

Although the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) has always indicated on various platforms that there are enough anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) for persons living with HIV in the country, it appears the story

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Speaking in an interview with the Ghanaian Times, Ms. Senoo said ARVs centres such as the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), among others, are unable to supply the medication to PLHIVs whenever they visit these centres.

All attempts to get the government to address the shortage have fallen on deaf ears.

She bemoaned the unavailability of drugs such as Lopinavir and other drugs for babies with the condition, in many centres.

“What is happening now is an emergency supply of the drugs which is contrary to the normal three months supply for PLHIVs putting many lives at risk,” she said in the interview with the local newspaper.

She expressed worry especially about young people living with the virus because it [HIV/AIDS] is such that a break in medication erupts the virus and upends every effort made to suppress it.

There have been incessant cases of irregular supply of anti-retroviral drugs in the country, in the past, with no clear roadmap by the government to solve the problem.

In December last year, NASA-Ghana called on the government to implement tax waivers for all planned shipment of donor-supported ARVs.