A crisis for those with HIV/AIDS in Papua New Guinea appears to have been eased with the arrival of a shipment of much-needed anti-retroviral drugs.
Oil Search-sponsored HIV AIDS awareness message in Papua New Guinea's Highlands. Photo: RNZI / Johnny Blades
For more than a month, the country has been critically short of anti-retroviral, or ART, drugs, which are used to manage HIV infections and prevent the growth of the virus in those infected.
The shortage is understood to have stemmed from years of budget cuts by the government, and for more than a month, clinics have had to eat into their emergency supplies - but these, too, were running out.
But a spokesperson for an HIV advocacy group, Lesley Bola,said pressure seems to have brought some good news.
"From reliable sources, the drug actually arrived at the end of this week and so according to the key person in the health department that I spoke to, that can take us up until the end of this year."
Lesley Bola said the minister promised a funding increase for next year, and his advocacy group will fight to ensure that happens.
