The National Syndetic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC) has assured Kenyans that the country has enough Anti-retroviral (ARVs) and Tuberculosis drugs amidst fears over the USAID funding freeze.
The announcement comes amidst fears among the users of the critical medicines whose supplies have been funded by the US government since the year 2003 at the height of the AIDS pandemic scourge.
The freeze of US funding to the USAID announced by President Donald Trump would see Kenya lose over Sh 25 billion yearly towards the health sector-driven programmes affecting over 41, 500 health care workers.
However, the Council CEO, Dr. Laibon Masha, has said there’s no cause for panic at the moment since there are enough supplies of ARVs and Tuberculosis (TB) drugs.
Dr. Masha said the government will move in to address the funding gap left from suspended US funding, adding that the critical drugs for the over 1. 3 million people living with HIV will be supplied to local health facilities and clinics soon.
Speaking during an engagement with County’s Executive Members for Health in Naivasha, Dr. Masha called for localised interventions to ensure all critical services in the fight against HIV/AIDS are not affected.
The CEO tasked the counties to formulate supporting interventions and measures to address the funding deficit left, including over 11,000 frontline health workers affected at the county levels.
“We have enough supplies for ARVs, Tuberculosis drugs and condoms in the country and there’s no need for panic among patients,” assured Dr. Masha.
Thanks to coordinated funding from the Kenyan government, USAID, Global fund and other agencies, the country has made tremendous strides in the fight against HIV over the last 20 years.
Currently, 98 per cent of people living with HIV/AIDS are aware of their status and are on treatment, while 94 per cent have achieved viral suppression through the support of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
However, Dr. Masha noted that despite the great success, statistics have indicated a worrying trend of increased infections among the young people driven by risky sexual behaviours and use of alcohol and drugs.
Though the US government has frozen the funding through USAID for the next 90 days pending review, Dr. Masha called on the US to reinstate funding to help win the fight against HIV/AIDS and TB.
“The Kenyan government must seize this imminent US funding freeze to reorganise its operations and budget and plug in the Sh 25 billion funding gap moving forward,” said Dr. Masha.
A board member with the National Syndemic Diseases Control Council (NSDCC), Khatru Ali, said that the USAID funding freeze is a wake-up call for continued local funding support towards the procurement of critical drugs.
The stakeholders’ engagement between the council and the counties will also see the formation of County Stakeholders Implementation Committees to reorganise their health programmes and ensure critical health services are not affected.
By Erastus Gichohi
