Luanda - The president of ANASO, António Coelho Monday hailed the Government for resolving the issue of the stock rupture of antiretroviral drugs, but called for improvements in the process of distribution of these medicines.
In an interview with ANGOP on the occasion of the World AIDS Day, António Coelho expressed satisfaction that the Government had quickly overcome the issue of the rupture of antiretrovirals, highlighting the invitation by Minister Sílvia Lutucuta to ANASO to join the working group to propose measures, avoiding other ruptures of stock.
"At present, the health units only give the medication for 15 days. This means that people living with hiv should go to hospital twice a month", he stressed.
António Coelho highlighted the partners' involvement in this phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, saying that at the beginning ANASO launched an appeal, which was understood by UNAIDS through the financing of the "HIVDA current" project.
"Our idea was not only to distribute foodstuff but also medicines so that people living with hiv would not have to go to health facilities. We then had support from UNDP, UNFPA, and World Vision for other community projects targeting not only the sick people but vulnerable communities in general," he said.
Due to the Covid-19, António Coelho said that the organization faces material and financial constraints, stressing that an average of 10,000 kwanzas per person per day is needed to place an activist on the ground, going door to door or in places of great concentration (markets and bus stops).
He deplored the fact that they do not currently have the capacity to establish a system for collecting and analysing data in the 18 provinces, which could give an idea of the number of new patients.
