The Network for persons of HIV Positives in Sierra Leone (NETHIPS) together with AID Health Care Foundation (AHF) and the Consortium for the Advancement of the Right of Key Affected Population (CARKAP) have demanded that the Government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Health, provide adequate uninterrupted access of antiretroviral drugs and kits for persons living with HIV.
At a press conference at NETHIPS’ Grafton–Regent Highway, the Executive Director of NETHIPS, Idrissa D.M Songo, said over the past couple of years the country adopted the “test all, treat all and retain all” strategy. He noted that it meant that all those who tested positive for HIV should be put on treatment within seven days.
He said Sierra Leone also adopted the three-months dispensing initiative which provided antiretroviral that would last for three months to all Recipients of Care (RoC) who meet the criteria.
The NETHIPS Executive Director emphasised that it was disheartening to note that the country woefully reneged on the initiative which was working very well in other countries. “Everyone tested positive for HIV should have access to quality drugs and treatment. It should not be limited to just Freetown, Kenema, and Makeni”, he stated.
Mr Songo expressed frustration over the challenges that Recipients of Care (RoC) faced due to the cumbersome bureaucratic processes at the Sierra Leone Ports Authority which had persistently led to containers of medicines, donated to Sierra Leone by the Global Fund, being kept at the Queen Elizabeth II Quay in some cases for over 13 months compromising the efficacy of those drugs.
He disclosed that the viral load machines at the central laboratory at Lakka had been out of operation for a long time now.
He stressed that if attention was not given to their demands they had so many options to get the attention of the Government of Sierra Leone and duty bearers.