Rationing ARVs denies patients right to health

 

Right to health is a fundamental right that every government should endeavour to protect by all means.

This right, among other things, encompasses access to vital drugs such as ARVs.

This is why the recent move by the state to ration ARVs for persons living with HIV is not well informed, especially in Covid era when the government should be doing everything possible to cushion the vulnerable.

Many people living with HIV are given less than the expected dosages in small polythene bags when they go for refills.

This has resulted in panic, fear and anxiety since any change with the dosage and packaging of ARVs ought to have been discussed with the relevant stakeholders.

As it is people living with HIV face a myriad of challenges, including battling opportunistic infections that weaken their immunity.

In 2009 the state came up with an anti-counterfeit law that listed generic medicines as counterfeits, posing a potential risk to the lives of millions of Kenyans who depended on ARVs.

The courts declared that the law was broad and failed to clearly distinguish between counterfeit and generic medicines.

The government can find ways of sealing loopholes without exposing the patients that rely on ARVs.

Quote of the Day: "Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do."

Dr Benjamin Spock

The American pediatrician and writer died on March 15, 1998  BY THE STAR