Friday, March 29, 2024

Moving Patients to the New ARVs introduced will be based on objective merit-Malama

Share

Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary for Technical services Kennedy Malama
Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary for Technical services Kennedy Malama

Government has clarified on the new combined HIV/AIDS drugs that have been introduced by the Ministry of Health in the Public health Institutions.

Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary for Technical services Kennedy Malama said the ministry does not intend to transition everyone who is on anti-retro viral drugs to the new DTG drugs because it will be done in a phased up manner.

He said the Ministry will embark on intensified counseling because there is a criteria on which newly diagnosed patients are put on drugs and the Ministry is focusing on newly diagnosed HIV patients to be put on (DTG)

“We are still rolling out the new one and we are calling it combination of Dolutegravir (DTG) lamivudine with tenofovir, the old drug includes three (ARV) so we have introduced the ‘D’ Dolutegravir and people have accepted the drug and are happy according to the information we are receiving”

Dr Malama told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka yesterday, that the Ministry of health is not moved by emotions or preferences which are not backed by evidence and if there is need to change drugs there has to be a number of reviews on the patients

He has since appealed to patients who are adherence to the old drugs not to rush and switch to the new drugs especially when they are able to reach viral load suppression.

The Ps added that the Ministry of Health is still investigating and comparing the two drugs.

8 COMMENTS

  1. Bwana MP are you really serving a purpose of you being so genuine as a true PF member or you are masquerading MD, UPND or NDC. Where do you belong just come out in the open, you are not clear on the point. If you are really pf you mean you don’t know the procedure how lodge in a complaint ? Why use this media to express your feelings?

  2. Didn’t they already start giving DTG in June of 2018. Maybe the stroke related deaths caused by TDF will reduce.
    The only thing I have noticed every time patients in Zambia switch drugs it means the developed countries have a moved to better new drug or they are about to. DTG became the preferred drug in SA in 2013 – 15, now every patient their is on it. In Botswana it was in 2016 – 17. In Malawi it is very recent when they moved to TDF. In Zimbabwe they patients buy whatever drug they can afford.

  3. “The Ps added that the Ministry of Health is still investigating and comparing the two drugs”
    A ministry which is doing investigations based on how many people will die while on the new drug as compared to the old drug. The developers should have done the stupid investigating before releasing it to the public not giving it to the Zambians so as to experiment with people’s lives. If there is something you can investigate independently, it’s Sondashi Formula. Sondashi aims saving lives not making money like the developers of those drugs. We want an HIV free Zambia.

  4. @Dokowe; TDF(tenofovir disoproxil fumarate hence its acronyms)is one single drug which is a component of the both the old(TLE containing TDF+3TC+EFV) and the new containing TLD(tenofovir+lamivudine(3TC)+dolutegravir(DTG)…They are both efficacious looking at the statistics except that EFV a component of the old is an non-nuleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor while new DTG is an integrease inhibitor..Am sure U can research more on these two since there seem to be potential to do so

  5. When introducing drugs, please DO NOT experiment.
    Let SA, EU & US medical centers where we evacuate our dying patients with advanced diagnostics tools to perform this function.
    WHO will accredit when drug is ready for general use.
    Bafimbwi where probably PAID to experiment on Zambians.
    They care more of their pockets than for their brothers and sisters that need help.
    Just look at their procurement methods. CAN YOU TRUST THEM WITH NEW MEDICINE?

Comments are closed.

Read more

Local News

Discover more from Lusaka Times-Zambia's Leading Online News Site - LusakaTimes.com

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading