Kenya To Spend $61M To Increase Antiretroviral Treatment Access, Health Ministry Says

Main Category: HIV / AIDS
Article Date: 08 Apr 2008 - 11:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Kenya's Ministry of Health on Sunday in a statement announced that the country will spend about $61 million next year to increase access to antiretroviral drugs, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. According to the health ministry, about 190,000 people living with HIV/AIDS have access to no-cost antiretrovirals, with an increase of 5,000 new people monthly.

The government -- with support from the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and other foreign donors -- will spend about $61 million to increase access to the drugs. The health ministry on Sunday said it will ensure there is a buffer stock of antiretrovirals for up to nine months. According to AFP/Yahoo! News, the number of people in need of antiretrovirals is estimated to increase by 60,000 to 250,000 people by next year (AFP/Yahoo! News, 4/6).

According to a 2007 UNAIDS report, HIV prevalence in Kenya has decreased from a high of 14% in the mid-1990s to 5% in 2006 (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 2/27). The disease has "overturned decades of health care gains" made in the country and threatens development efforts if its spread is not reversed, AFP/Yahoo! News reports (AFP/Yahoo! News, 4/6).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

• Additional
• References
• Citations