State probes ARVS abuse reports

GOVERNMENT has instituted investigations into reports that ARVs are being abused by HIV negative drug addicts in Zambia.

Ministry of Health spokesperson, Abel Kabalo said the ministry needed to ascertain the information because there was strict monitoring of ARVs distribution from health facilities.

“The ministry is already investigating the reports of abuse of ARVs. We have to ascertain this information because we doubt it very much with the strong monitoring systems we have put in place. It’s highly unlikely that ARVs can be going missing for people to abuse,” said Dr Kabalo.

Dr Kabalo said the abuse of drugs such as ARVs was more rampant in other countries compared to Zambia.

The Treatment Advocacy and Literacy Campaign (TALC) which expressed sadness over the reports of ARVs being abused by HIV negative drug addicts asked the Ministry of Health to investigate this issue. TALC national director Felix Mwanza said ARVs abuse in the manner reported by the psychiatric doctor at the Chainama Hospital in Lusaka was not uncommon especially in Southern Africa.

He said in one of Zambia’s neighbouring countries ‘drug addicts’ ambush recipients of care and snatch their medication upon them receiving it from the pharmacies in different health facilities and abuse it in all manner and forms.

Mr Mwanza also noted that there are over a million people currently on ART in Zambia and news of abuse of the ARV drugs by some sectors of the community risks reversing the gains that have been made by the government and its partners in putting people living with HIV on ART.

He said the trend does not only rob people living with HIV of the much needed life-saving drugs however, it also puts those abusing these drugs at risk of developing drug resistance in an event that the abusers become HIV positive during the period of abusing the said drugs.