[Ip-health] NG Guardian: Hope dims on HIV drug programme

[Mike Palmedo]

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/news2/nn849807.html

Monday, February 25, 2002. 

Hope dims on HIV drug programme

By Ben Ukwuoma andChukwuma Muanya

FOR people living with the dreaded Human Immuno deficiency Virus (HIV)
in Nigeria, access to subsidised anti-retroviral drugs may continue to
remain a pipe dream, as government is yet to kick-start the programme
that will make the treatment available, almost one year after it was
pledged.

Clinical evaluation of the N400 million cocktail of the drugs imported
from India last year is yet to start in the 18 designated centres
earmarked by the Federal Ministry of Health.

The evaluation, expected to be co-ordinated by 20 clinicians, will
ascertain the safety profile of the drugs, especially with regards to
the side effects and development a format for their administration.

<snip>

The new initiative, targeted at about 10,000 Nigerians living with the
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), was scheduled to take off on
December, 24 last year.

Towards a smooth take-off of the scheme, the Nigerian Institute of
Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba in Lagos and the Nigerian Institute of
Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Abuja were designated
as testing points for the beneficiaries.

However, eight weeks after the programme was supposed to have taken off
at the designated centres, nothing has been happening at most of the
centres.