Government assures enough HIV commodities amid Donald Trump’s order to halt funding
By Antynet Ford
The Ministry of Health has assured Kenyans that the Country has enough stock and is well prepared in case the US government through USAID halts the supply of HIV commodities.
Speaking during the weekly media briefing, MOH Director General Patrick Amoth said as a ministry they have always had a second plan of ensuring they are well supplied in case anything whether natural or unnatural occurs.
Amoth said the country has a supply for the contingents able to run for the next six months for all the 1.4 million Kenyans that are on HIV treatment.
“I want to assure Kenyans that we have enough stocks for HIV commodities including ARVs and essential commodities. We have strengthened our supply chain in the last one and two years to ensure that at any given time we have more than six months of stock,” Amoth stated.
“Being that the number of people receiving HIV commodities is huge, as a government we have always had in mind that in case of anything that is beyond our control, there should be a plan B,” he added.
The DG reiterated that Kenya and the US have had a very strong relationship and the Ministry is cognizant of the information coming from the US government.
The assurance by MOH comes hours after the World Health Organization raised concerns over the executive order by President Donald Trump to halt HIV funding programs in low and middle-income countries.
The Global health body has stated that over 30 million people worldwide will be affected by the halt hence putting their lives at risk.
The Global health body stated that over 30 million people worldwide will be affected by the halt hence putting their lives at risk.
WHO added that there may be a surge of new infections and deaths if the funding is stopped.
“We are sounding the alarm on the catastrophic consequences of a funding pause for
HIV programs. This is not just a matter of numbers; it’s a human crisis. Millions of people living with HIV will be at immediate risk of illness and death if we don’t act quickly,” WHO said.
They warned that a prolonged pause could send the world back to the eighties and nineties when Millions died from HIV infections.
“The thought of going back to those dark days is unacceptable; we can't afford to let that happen,” they added.
The Trump administration has moved to stop the supply of lifesaving drugs for HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as medical supplies for newborn babies, in countries supported by USAID around the globe, Reuters reported.
According to reports by Reuters, contractors and partners who work with USAID began receiving such memos to stop work immediately.
The move is part of a wider freeze on U.S. aid and funding put in place since Trump took office on Jan. 20, while programs are reviewed.
