KENYA: ARVs now free in public hospitals

NAIROBI, 2 June 2006 (PlusNews) - HIV-positive Kenyans will no longer have to pay for life-prolonging antiretroviral (ARV) treatment at public hospitals, President Mwai Kibaki has announced.

Speaking at celebrations to mark Kenya's 43rd Madaraka (self-rule) Day on Thursday, Kibaki said the 100 shillings per month (US $1.40) charged for ARVs at public health facilities would be waived with immediate effect.

All provincial and 70 district hospitals in Kenya provide comprehensive HIV care, including counselling, testing and ARVs. According to the National AIDS Control Council, an estimated 54,000 Kenyans were receiving ARVs by September 2005, up from just 3,000 in 2002.

However, Kibaki noted that the long-term solution to HIV/AIDS lay in preventive measures. "This calls for concerted action by all of us, as families and communities in partnership with the medical personnel," news reports quoted him as saying. "Prevention is always better than cure."