Transport: Hindrance for HIV patients to access drugs

Health 

Essentially, all HIV patients are enrolled on a lifetime antiviral medication to support their immune system from being compromised by the virus.

However, HIV care service providers are currently finding it hard to ensure that all patients get hold of the needed antiviral medication because of the transport fares that were doubled.

Judith Anyango a resident of Lubya, a suburb in Kampala says she got to know of her status after conceiving her last born and since then, she started on antiretroviral medication.  

Anyango who is also a village health team (VHT) decided to help people living with HIV by supplying them drugs.

"I get drugs from Nsambya home care and supply them to patients in Lubya and areas around it," she states.

However, she adds that before the lockdown it was easy because transport was not an issue unlike of late.

"At the beginning of the lockdown, I would foot from Lubya to Nsambya and back to get drugs. It was tiresome but I had to do it," she continues and says when public means resumed, she hoped that transport would be eased but to her dismay, the fares were instead doubled.

Anyango says she has no option but to continue footing because she cannot stop serving her colleagues.   

Sylvia Nakarega who resides in kirimamboga, Wakiso district says getting drugs during the lockdown has been hard for her however, upon re-opening public means, she hoped to easily access the hospital.

Unfortunately, it has not been the case because she cannot afford transport fare.

A single mother of three, struggling to make ends meet says she treks 12 miles to access the nearest hospital which is hard.

Nakarega explains that because of the long distance, she at times fails to get drugs which has affected her health.

She therefore requests the government to at least extend services near to save them from trekking and their health being at risk.

What the expert says

Maria Nayonga Musoke who heads Nsambya home care an organization which looks after people living with HIV/ AIDS says the lockdown is presenting tough times to reliably offer services to their clients.

She explains that although patients have been advised to go for drug refills at the nearby health facilities, some especially those in rural areas find it uncomfortable switching service providers hence missing out on drugs due to failure to access facilities of their choice.

She explains that in such circumstances, they are required to make home deliveries to such patients to ensure their adherence to drugs but it is costly for them.

Worried of developing drug resistance and high occurrences of opportunistic infections among their patients due to poor patterns of taking prescriptions.  Nanyonga says they are forced to suspend some activities and scheduled programs to cater for unplanned home delivery of drugs.

"Despite our willingness to deliver drugs to our patients, we are averted by financial resources which can enable us reach out to individual patients at their respective homes," she explains.

She has also expressed fear that many patients may develop drug resistance due to circumstances that have been caused by COVID-19 like domestic violence, lack of food and missing appoints that may lead to rise of their viral rod.