The Ministry of Health has released, for distribution, a new consignment of vital HIV commodities for the 1.4 million Kenyans living with HIV.
The release comes amid fears of a potential shortage occasioned by a funding shortfall resulting from the US government's suspension of various health programmes and compounded by the Kenyan government's tight fiscal wiggle room. "We are pleased to report that we have secured stock levels of key ARVs and testing kits, with supplies ranging from several months to close to two years," said Health CS Barasa when she led the flagging off of the commodities.
The new stocks supplied through the Mission for Essential Drugs (MEDS), in partnership with KEMSA, include a supply of Tenofovir/Lamivudine/Dolutegravir (TLD) meant for both children and adults to control and reduce risk of virus transmission.
While slightly over 2 million packs of these are lying in KEMSA stores, a further 4.8 million is expected by June this year, offering a guarantee of 11 months of supply.
