Still No Answer from M.O.H. over HIV/AIDS Meds Shortage

Diego Grajalez

Director of CNET+ Diego Grajalez says that he has written to the Ministry of Health and the National AIDS Commission to ascertain what is the issue with the procurement of the vital medication. Grajalez says there is a urgent need for the Ministry and the Commission to address this matter.

Diego Grajalez, Director, CNET+

“For the past three weeks we have been receiving reports from our memberships. Initially started that they had to get one type of medication at one clinic and go to another clinic to get the other medication in order to combine their cocktails. Following that they started reporting that there was a lack of mostly Lopinavir/Ritonavir- Kaletra which is an anti-retroviral medication. Now it has been constantly reports over the past three weeks about this issue that there is no Kaletra. I contacted the Ministry of Health about six days ago concerning this. First I had contacted the National Aids Commission but they are still in contact with the Ministry and are still following up with a response from them. I proceeded to contact the Ministry of Health and up to now I have not gotten a response to what exactly is the problem. From what I hear from second hand sources is that there is some sort of procurement issue which is not clear to me. I think, regardless, it is kind of unacceptable because at the end of the day HIV is not asking when the medication will be ready. Once a person is out of medication for a long time or for certain amount of time that person that can develop resistance to the medication. In this country we have first and second line medication. Once you surpass that medication there is nothing else you which is why a lot of people are concern about this issue. One day is already too much without this medication. We have been hearing that it has been three weeks that we have been hearing these reports.”