The Non-State Actors for Health and Development Ghana (NSA-Ghana), have revealed that, the country is currently facing a shortage in Anti-Retroviral drugs for Persons Living with HIV (PLHIV).
According to the Actors, the country is currently facing stock-out of ARVs across various regions, especially in Ashanti and Eastern, creating serious situations where clients, involving Persons Living with HIV had been turned away by health facilities due to the shortages and non-availability of these medications.
The Actors are therefore calling on the Ministry of Health to re-stock the country’s regional medical stores and health facilities with Anti-Retroviral drugs immediately and have also urged the Ministry of Finance to urgently release clearance for ARV’s that had been stocked at Ghana’s port for almost six months now.
Addressing the media in a press briefing, Mrs Elsie Ayeh, the National President for the Ghana Network of Persons Living with HIV (NAP Ghana), blamed authorities, particularly the Ministry of Finance, for the failure to issue the needed Tax Waivers to clear the drugs from the port since July 2020.
She then posited that the ARV shortage could lead to lapses in the treatment regime, leading to drug resistance and other severe complications that could adversely erode all the gains made towards achieving the 90-90-90 target.
Touching on financial support, Mrs Ayeh indicated that, Ghana although being a lower-middle-income country, enjoyed financial support from the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria (GF-ATM), and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), to the tune of $933 million in grants to save lives adding that, the government being a co-financier, had over the period failed to honour its part of the obligation in a timely manner.
“In addition, the Government has failed to provide the needed tax exemption on commodities, including ARVs procured with donor funds in a timely manner.”
She said ARVs were not only life-saving medicines for PLHIV but were equally important in halting the spread of HIV when used as both Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).
“They are also very important in halting the spread of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV to ensure every child in Ghana is born free of HIV, can shine and eventually become strong leaders of the country”.
Mrs Ayeh insisted that a timely, adequate, and sustainable supply of these commodities could, therefore, under no circumstances, be compromised, positing that, the goal to end HIV and AIDS by 2030 cannot be achieved if measures are not put in place.
Ms Juliana Narh, the Eastern Regional Correspondent for NAP, said a follow-up to some regional health facilities including the St. Joseph Catholic: Atua Government; Nkawkaw, St. Martin; Nsawam Government; and New Abrem hospitals respectively confirmed situations of total stock-outs.
She said other places reported of limited supplies where a bottle of ARV was shared among three clients, and others were given two weeks or ten days to return for further medications.
Ms Narh argued that the scary gap could create lack of trust in the health system, leading PLHIV no option than to resort to herbal or spiritual support from prayer camps.
