Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
 |
New Vision (Kampala) - December 28, 2001
Charles Wendo
Dr. Peter Mugyenyi, the director of the Joint Clinical Research Centre (JCRC), said the price reduction had enabled 2,500 new patients to enroll for treatment at JCRC alone this year.
This raises to over 3,000, the number of patients regularly receiving treatment at the centre co-owned by the Ministry of Health and the Uganda People's Defence Forces.
Conservative estimates put at more than 8,000, the number of patients taking anti-retroviral drugs from various hospitals and clinics in Uganda.
The lowest cost combination of three anti-retroviral drugs is now at sh72,000 per patient per month. "This same combination used to cost sh800,000 only eight months ago," Mugyenyi said.
"Out of the 3,000, more than 500 would have died if they were not receiving the treatment," he said while speaking during the JCRC end-of-year party.
Addressing guests during the same ceremony, AIDS Control Programme Manager Dr. Elizabeth Madraa said AIDS patients upcountry will not have to travel to Kampala to receive anti-retroviral drugs. The Ministry of Health is to set up 10 upcountry centres, at least one in each region, where AIDS patients can receive anti-retroviral drugs.
Madraa was optimistic that the prices would continue reducing so that more people afford the drugs. She said in the long run AIDS will become comparable to chronic illnesses like high blood pressure and diabetes which can easily be controlled.
011228
NV011224
Copyright © 2001 - The New Vision. All articles are republished on AEGIS by permission. Material may not be redistributed, posted to any other location, published or used for broadcast without written authorization from Managing Director/Editor-in-chief, The New Vision, P.O. Box 9815, Kampala - Uganda, Tel/fax: 256-41-235221, E-mail: wpike@newvision.co.ug.
AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, iMetrikus, Inc., John M. Lloyd Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2001. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2001. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .