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Government hospitals have only a two-month supply of antiretroviral drugs in stock, Swaziland’s health minister recently told Parliament. According to state-controlled media reports, Benedict Xaba blamed budget problems caused by the global recession and a decline in customs revenue. News of the scant supplies concerned AIDS activists. More than 60,000 Swazis depend on free ARVs distributed by state hospitals. It is estimated that more than a quarter of people ages 15-49 have HIV in Swaziland.
The country is seeking international loans to help ease the current budget crisis, so people with HIV/AIDS should not lose hope, Xaba said June 27.
Without ARVs, “we shall die,” said Patrick Mngometulu, a patient who has been on government-provided ARVs since 2003. Mngometulu said he especially worries about any disruption to programs that help prevent mother-to-child HIV infections. “We lose hope, and the situation will decrease productivity of the infected,” he added.
The number of people receiving ARVs in Swaziland has grown from just 15,000 in 2005 to 60,000 today, noted Thembi Nkambule, director of the Swaziland National Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS. Now, however, she fears “Swazis will die in numbers. Hope will be lost.”
Africa’s last absolute monarchy has seen a pro-democracy movement gain support since the government’s announcement in March that it plans to freeze civil-service salaries and sell state-owned enterprises. Activists there criticize King Mswati III of living in opulence amid poverty, and of harassing and jailing pro-democracy activists.
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.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
