AIDS drugs needed

Resource constraints have forced some 250,000 people living with HIV and AIDS to go without vital Anti-Retroviral Therapy, an official has said.

National AIDS Council Financial Director Albert Manenji said 593,168 people required ART but only 341,172 had access.

“The annual requirement for HIV is $150 million and we are only getting $92 million,” he said.

The country’s efforts to fight the HIV and AIDS pandemic suffered a major blow last year when it lost round 10 of the Global Fund prompting the NAC official to comment the country had to be self-sustained.

“We were getting about 75 percent of funds required from foreign donors and there is need for us to be self-sustainable,” said Manenji.

In 1999, the National HIV/AIDS levy was introduced to finance HIV/AIDS activities.

The revenue collected from the levy, which is 3 percent of all taxable income, goes into the National AIDS Trust Fund.

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