Your daily Selection of IRIN Africa PlusNews reports, 9/14/2006

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U N I T E D N A T I O N S

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) -

[These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

CONTENT:

1 - UGANDA: Outrage as ARVs expire in government stores

1 - UGANDA: Outrage as ARVs expire in government stores

KAMPALA, 14 September (PLUSNEWS) - Ugandan HIV/AIDS activists are outraged after

antiretroviral (ARV) drugs worth an estimated US$500,000 recently expired in

government stores while people have been dying of AIDS-linked illnesses.

" For drugs to expire in stores when we have only 80,000 HIV-positive Ugandans

enrolled on ARVs is inexcusable, " Beatrice Were, of the anti-poverty group,

ActionAid International, told IRIN/PlusNews. " It shows that the health ministry

is incompetent to manage HIV. " Between 150,000 and 200,000 Ugandans need the

life-prolonging medication.

According Uganda's New Vision newspaper, the director-general of health

services, Sam Zaramba, said ARVs worth between $400,000 and $500,000 had expired

at the national medical stores in Entebbe, some 40km from the capital, Kampala.

" Once treatment is interrupted, we will have problems like resistance, for

example to tuberculosis treatment, and this can be grave for people living with

HIV/AIDS, " said Were, a prominent HIV-positive activist.

Her organisation had received reports of stocks running out in a number of

centres, but when they raised this with the authorities " they were denying that

there was ... cause for alarm ... now it is coming out " .

The authorities insist that the situation has been brought under control. " An

emergency plan has been able to address the issue, though there are other

problems still prevalent, " said Bogonza, general manager of Uganda

National Medical Stores. " ARVs have a short shelf-life of between 18 to 24

months, so by the time these were put in place, some of the drugs that were

meant to run for about two months expired. "

Uganda has expanded its treatment programme from 26 sites in 2004 to 210

currently. " The problem was further compounded by the unprecedented scale-up of

treatment sites, " Bagonza added. New stocks were now available for distribution

to all accredited centres.

Zaramba said, " We're in the final stages of our investigation into this matter.

Appropriate action is to be taken against those responsible for failing to

follow the basic principle of distributing the stock that come in earliest. "

The expiry of the drugs is the latest in a string of scandals involving the

Ugandan Ministry of Health. In 2004, a widely used government-subsidised brand

of condoms, 'Engabu', had to be recalled because of a " bad odour " , leading to a

condom shortage in the country.

In August 2005, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

temporarily suspended grants amounting to more than $200 million, citing

" serious mismanagement " , but lifted the suspension in November 2005 after

assurances by the government that it would look into the matter.

A commission of inquiry earlier this year implicated senior government

officials, including three health ministers who have since been replaced.

Despite calls for criminal charges to be brought, no one has as yet been

prosecuted.

" We need a total review of the health ministry, " Were said. " Is the problem

human resources, is it corruption or is it lack of political commitment to

manage the pandemic? We need more action and less rhetoric around HIV. " [ENDS]

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service, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its

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to the copyright page (Http://www.irinnews.org/copyright ) for conditions of

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Subscriber: AIDS treatments

[Guest guest]

U N I T E D N A T I O N S

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) -

[These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

CONTENT:

1 - UGANDA: Outrage as ARVs expire in government stores

1 - UGANDA: Outrage as ARVs expire in government stores

KAMPALA, 14 September (PLUSNEWS) - Ugandan HIV/AIDS activists are outraged after

antiretroviral (ARV) drugs worth an estimated US$500,000 recently expired in

government stores while people have been dying of AIDS-linked illnesses.

" For drugs to expire in stores when we have only 80,000 HIV-positive Ugandans

enrolled on ARVs is inexcusable, " Beatrice Were, of the anti-poverty group,

ActionAid International, told IRIN/PlusNews. " It shows that the health ministry

is incompetent to manage HIV. " Between 150,000 and 200,000 Ugandans need the

life-prolonging medication.

According Uganda's New Vision newspaper, the director-general of health

services, Sam Zaramba, said ARVs worth between $400,000 and $500,000 had expired

at the national medical stores in Entebbe, some 40km from the capital, Kampala.

" Once treatment is interrupted, we will have problems like resistance, for

example to tuberculosis treatment, and this can be grave for people living with

HIV/AIDS, " said Were, a prominent HIV-positive activist.

Her organisation had received reports of stocks running out in a number of

centres, but when they raised this with the authorities " they were denying that

there was ... cause for alarm ... now it is coming out " .

The authorities insist that the situation has been brought under control. " An

emergency plan has been able to address the issue, though there are other

problems still prevalent, " said Bogonza, general manager of Uganda

National Medical Stores. " ARVs have a short shelf-life of between 18 to 24

months, so by the time these were put in place, some of the drugs that were

meant to run for about two months expired. "

Uganda has expanded its treatment programme from 26 sites in 2004 to 210

currently. " The problem was further compounded by the unprecedented scale-up of

treatment sites, " Bagonza added. New stocks were now available for distribution

to all accredited centres.

Zaramba said, " We're in the final stages of our investigation into this matter.

Appropriate action is to be taken against those responsible for failing to

follow the basic principle of distributing the stock that come in earliest. "

The expiry of the drugs is the latest in a string of scandals involving the

Ugandan Ministry of Health. In 2004, a widely used government-subsidised brand

of condoms, 'Engabu', had to be recalled because of a " bad odour " , leading to a

condom shortage in the country.

In August 2005, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

temporarily suspended grants amounting to more than $200 million, citing

" serious mismanagement " , but lifted the suspension in November 2005 after

assurances by the government that it would look into the matter.

A commission of inquiry earlier this year implicated senior government

officials, including three health ministers who have since been replaced.

Despite calls for criminal charges to be brought, no one has as yet been

prosecuted.

" We need a total review of the health ministry, " Were said. " Is the problem

human resources, is it corruption or is it lack of political commitment to

manage the pandemic? We need more action and less rhetoric around HIV. " [ENDS]

This is non-reply e-mail. Please do not hesitate to contact us at

Mail@....

Principal donors: IRIN is generously supported by Australia, Canada, Denmark,

ECHO, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and

the United States of America. For more information, go to:

http://www.IRINnews.org/donors

[This item comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian news and information

service, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its

agencies. All IRIN material may be reposted or reprinted free-of-charge; refer

to the copyright page (Http://www.irinnews.org/copyright ) for conditions of

use. IRIN is a project of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian

Affairs.]

PLUSNEWS

Tel: +27 11 895-1900

Fax: +27 11 784-6759

Email: Mail@...

To make changes to or cancel your subscription visit:

http://www.irinnews.org/subscriptions

Subscriber: AIDS treatments