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Early in 2012, a section of the
Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) that served 12,000 HIV/AIDS patients in
Ghana’s Ashanti region closed for renovation. Hospital authorities stated the
renovations were necessary to correct structural defects that allowed TB to
spread among the hospital’s patients. Before closing the HIV section, KATH
officials gave HIV-infected patients a four-month supply of antiretroviral
therapy (ART), but made no other provisions to continue HIV care during the
construction. Although officials expected renovations to be complete in four
months, construction has stopped and the HIV section remains closed. The
contractors reported that KATH claimed it had no funds to pay for the work.
The international nongovernmental
organization The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, & Malaria
originally supplied funding for the renovation, but KATH officials claimed that
Ghana’s National Tuberculosis Programme has not released the funds to the hospital.
It was not clear how many HIV-infected patients have died as a result of
interruptions in HIV care and treatment. Displaced KATH patients who attempted
to obtain HIV medications from other clinics or hospitals faced discrimination
and stigmatization. Because Ghana’s government supplied ART to HIV-infected
people, obtaining ART from pharmacies was very difficult. In an attempt to
assist HIV patients, KATH pharmacists have resorted to distributing ART without
prescriptions on the hospital grounds.
Hospital sources stated that KATH
was taking steps to release funds to the contractor so construction could
recommence.
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!
