Ambitious ARV rollout plan announced

RWANDA: Ambitious ARV rollout plan announced

JOHANNESBURG, 8 Sep 2005 (PLUSNEWS) - US pharmaceutical company Merck, Sharp and Dohme (MSD) is to help Rwanda increase the number of HIV-positive people receiving anti-AIDS treatment.

MSD resident representative Dr Dominique Gacukuzi said a collaborative effort between the government of Rwanda and his firm aimed to grant 100,000 people access to antiretroviral (ARV) drugs by 2007 at various district hospitals.

The local New Times newspaper quoted Gacukuzi as saying, "Our goal is to help Rwanda to expand HIV/AIDS care with adequate management of treatment, including administering of ARVs at both primary and secondary levels of care."

Over the past year Rwanda has tripled the number of people on ARVs to approximately 13,250 - about 20 percent of the total number of Rwandans who need it.

[ENDS]

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