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08.11.2012 Health

KATH denies it has run out of stock of ARV drugs

By GNA
KATH denies it has run out of stock of ARV drugs
08.11.2012 LISTEN

Kumasi, Nov. 8, GNA – The Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), on Thursday denied media reports that the facility has run out of stock of Anti-Retroviral (AVR) drugs for persons suffering from HIV and AIDS.

Professor Ohene Adjei, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KATH, said the facility's HIV Clinic needed more space for large stock of the drugs.

Speaking at a media encounter in Kumasi on Thursday, the CEO of KATH said as of October 31 this year, the KATH had received 2,166,840 AVR drugs, and dismissed media claim that the lives of people living with the disease were in danger.

He said there were enough AVR drugs for the more than 5,500 HIV-infected persons, who attend the hospital.

Prof Ohene Adjei said: “what is rather happening at the moment is that some health facilities under the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in the Ashanti Region are having difficulties with the supply of the medicines”.

He said that just like the GHS, the hospital was an autonomous body of the Ministry of Health (MOH).

Prof. Ohene Adjei said as a public health institution, the KATH acknowledged its responsibility towards ensuring public health and safety, and was ever prepared to do so through collaboration with other agencies of the MOH, including the Regional Directorate of the GHS.

He said that the hospital could not be held responsible for the ARV medicine challenges confronting GHS facilities in the region.

“It is, therefore, wrong for anybody to attribute the shortage of AVR medicines in those facilities to KATH management. Indeed it is the KATH Clinic, which has been coming to the aid of persons living with HIV and AIDS from the GHS facilities in the region as a result of the challenges”, Prof Ohene Adjei said.

The Director of Pharmacy at the Hospital, Mr. Anthony Mensah, conducted journalists round the Pharmacy to see the AVR stock.

GNA

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