TASO To Give Free AIDS Drugs
Oct 29, 2002
HIV/AIDS patients will now live longer when The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) starts providing free Anti-Retro-Viral (ARV) drugs next year, reports <b>Charles Ariko.</b>
HIV/AIDS patients will now live longer when The AIDS Support Organisation (TASO) starts providing free Anti-Retro-Viral (ARV) drugs next year, reports Charles Ariko.
Dr. Alex Coutinho, the chief executive officer, said recently that TASO would initially give the drugs to only 1,000 of its 22,000 clients.
He, however, said more clients would also benefit once the organisation gets more funds or when the prices of ARV drugs drops from the current rates.
The drugs for the 1,000 clients will be bought with the assistance from USAID and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
TASO has mainly provided treatment for opportunistic infections and counselling since its inception 14 years ago.
During the launch of TASO’s five-year plan for the period 2003-2007 at Hotel Africana, Coutinho said TASO plans to expand its services to cover more districts to enable people living with HIV access services.
Coutinho said TASO was also looking at possibilities of increasing accessibility of its services to the upper and middle class clients. “The middle and upper classes of society have not been substantially served even though they might need the services of TASO,†he said.
Entebbe Municipality MP and TASO board of trustees chairperson, David Matovu, officiated at the launch. Ends
Dr. Alex Coutinho, the chief executive officer, said recently that TASO would initially give the drugs to only 1,000 of its 22,000 clients.
He, however, said more clients would also benefit once the organisation gets more funds or when the prices of ARV drugs drops from the current rates.
The drugs for the 1,000 clients will be bought with the assistance from USAID and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
TASO has mainly provided treatment for opportunistic infections and counselling since its inception 14 years ago.
During the launch of TASO’s five-year plan for the period 2003-2007 at Hotel Africana, Coutinho said TASO plans to expand its services to cover more districts to enable people living with HIV access services.
Coutinho said TASO was also looking at possibilities of increasing accessibility of its services to the upper and middle class clients. “The middle and upper classes of society have not been substantially served even though they might need the services of TASO,†he said.
Entebbe Municipality MP and TASO board of trustees chairperson, David Matovu, officiated at the launch. Ends