HIV Patients Out of Drugs, Harassed in Ukraine

Drug supply chains in Ukraine have been disrupted by corrupt government officials, threatening the provision of antiretroviral (ARV) medicines to HIV/AIDS patients, say advocates. Furthermore, government investigations of addicts on methadone therapy and of AIDS organizations risk exacerbating the country's HIV epidemic, they claim.

Some 1.3 percent of Ukrainians age 15 and older, or 360,000 people, are HIV-infected, the highest rate in Europe, UNAIDS data show. ARV treatment is run by the government, which funds about 60 percent of Ukraine's AIDS budget; the remainder is provided by international donors such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

Prior to supply disruptions that began two months ago, just 20,000 of 93,000 people with AIDS or on the verge of developing it were receiving ARVs. Now even these patients are having difficulty accessing their medicines, activists say.

According to AIDS groups, the supply problems stem from officials demanding kickbacks from suppliers. "Corruption at the Health Ministry costs people their lives, and what is even more scary, children's lives," said Dmytro Sherembey of the All-Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV. ARVs are procured at five to six times the market rate, due to middlemen who can charge higher prices thanks to their government connections, he alleged.

Last week, the Global Fund said a $305 million, five-year grant to Ukraine is in jeopardy if the government does not restore ARV supplies and stop its harassment of HIV-positive drug users and the non-governmental groups trying to help them.

Government officials acknowledge hiccups in procuring ARVs, but downplay any supply problems, saying the delays have actually allowed them to invite new bidders and lower drug costs. And they defend investigations of drug users. Interior Minister Anatoly Mohilyov said he is collecting personal information about addicts "because these people are from a risk group and we must know about them."

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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