HIV positive women suspect government officials diverted donated ARVs for profit

By Tererai Karimakwenda
12 June 2006

A group of women from several high-density suburbs have revealed that they believe anti-retroviral drugs donated to Zimbabwe to help the poor, such as themselves, have been diverted to private chemists by government officials. In March and April this year the women say they were told by their sponsors that loads of boxes of ARV drugs had been donated by Asian countries to benefit them. They were to access these for free at state-run hospitals like Mpilo and Parirenyatwa. But the women, who chose to remain anonymous for their safety, said the hospitals told them the drugs had run out within the first few weeks. But none of them had received any free ARVs. When they went to private chemists they saw the drugs for sale in boxes that were exactly like the donated boxes they had seen in the past but the prices for these ARVs were too far out of reach.

This news comes at a time when drugs for tuberculosis are reported to have run out in Zimbabwe. Other basic drugs like the pain killer panadol are also in short supply and very expensive at the private chemists.

One HIV positive woman who reports for SW Radio Africa told us she confirmed at her local chemist that the ARVs being sold there had been provided by a government-run hospital. She said the packaging had not even been changed. The involvement of government officials in diverting medicines in short supply is not a new story. The women we spoke with used to receive free ARVs from a non-governmental organisation that was ordered to stop distributing such drugs. They said this was meant to force them to buy them at inflated prices from chemists since they had no choice if they wanted to live. But the strategy has caused many unnecessary deaths. The women said people are simply dying at home without the medication because many cannot afford it. Our contact is lucky enough to have several sponsors that pay for medication.