The Ghana Health Service (GHS) is warning of the possible worsening of the conditions of HIV patients if the government fails to address the difficulty the service faces in clearing antiretroviral drugs at the port.
Programmes Manager for the National AIDs and Sexually Transmitted Diseases at the GHS, Dr Stephen Ayisi Addo said the taxes on drugs at the port are high which makes it difficult for the service to purchase them due to the limited resources.
Speaking to JoyNews on The Pulse on February 14, Dr Addo said the continued delay might affect their patients and worsen their conditions.
“There has been a significant escalation in the pricing for clearing. So what is even allocated in our budget is lower than what is required now for the clearing,” he said.
He explained that the government must understand that these drugs sustain human life and measures must be put in place to ensure that there is constant supply.
“We need to first of all agree that this is life-saving. It is preventing something. If we actually lift our foot off the pedal, what will happen is we are building a reservoir of HIV drug resistance streams because now you don’t have the medication.
“People don’t take it. The virus multiplies, and we have mutated streams. That will be more difficult to treat, and so we don’t want a second epidemic. The country must agree that it is important, and we need to prioritise it,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said the GHS is having discussions to secure a tax waiver from the Ministry of Finance to be able to secure drugs cheaply.
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