It has emerged that the government does not have money to effect migration to the second line treatment as was anticipated.
Speaking at a function organised by the National Aids Council (NAC), HIV/AIDS Director in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Owen Mugurungi, said the money was currently unavailable.
The problem we face is that the second line drug is one and half times more expensive than the old drug that people have been using, said Mugurungi. He added that donor partners gad only promised to pay for Staduvine, the old drug. Apart from the fact that the new drugs are more expensive, they come in two packs. The old type was easier to carry and more manageable.
Some organisations have further compounded the governments nightmare as they have already been rolling out the new line of treatment since December last year. An estimated 20 000 people are already on treatment. Although we had planned that we would start the migration in April, some people had been rolling out drugs since December. As a result, new patients have been enrolled for the new line of treatment while old ones have been left with the first line treatment (Stavudine) to which they have developed side effects, said Mugurungi.
He added that the government had planned to enrol at least 50 000 people by year end for the second line (Tenovir) treatment.
Lots of patients have been given only one of the two drugs in the second line treatment and when they fail to get the drugs they will take whatever is available. In many cases patients do not have money to buy the drug, said Mugurungi. Some of the most common side effects of Stavudine are headaches, diarrhoea, and nausea. In most cases, the side effects are minor and can easily be treated by healthcare provider.
Other side effects include yellowing of the skin or eyes and signs of an allergic reaction, including an unexplained rash, hives, itching, unexplained swelling, wheezing, difficulty breathing or swallowing. According to the government at least 593 000 people are in urgent need of Anti-retroviral Treatment.
Post published in: News