Commercial sex workers and HIV-positive people in Mombasa took to the streets in protest over the shortage of anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) in the country.
They were calling on the government to address the issue as the shortage has made thousands of people vulnerable to infection while leaving others sick and at risk of death.
Commercial sex workers claim that the recent lockdown has boosted business. However, there is a high risk of more people being infected if the ARV issue persist.
The director of Nkoko Iju Africa- a sex workers organization, Marylynne Laini, posed, “How many commercial sex workers are HIV positive, if the workers had suppressed the virus with the drugs what will happen? Won’t they infect other people’s husbands?”
On Wednesday, Health Cabinet Secretary Mtutahi Kagwe told the Senate Health Committee that a diplomatic squabble that had caused the drug shortage had been resolved.
He said that during the week, patients are expected to receive the drug consignment released by the USAID. The consignment had been stuck at the port.
According to the Health CS, the USAID had proposed using a company called Chemonics International for the procurement and supply of ARVs to Kenyans because of trust issues with KEMSA, the national medical supplies body.
Nevertheless, Kagwe stated that the government reached an agreement with USAID that will include the strengthening of systems at KEMSA among other things.
He clarified that since the government did not have enough information on the Chemonics, it would not allow USAID to use it to supply ARvs.
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