Authority says Ethiopia needs 24 Billion Birr to import AIDS life Prolonging drugs 

 Addis Ababa, August 9 (ENA)-- Drug Administration and Control Authority  says some 24 billion birr would be needed every year to import HIV/AIDS life prolonging drugs to be used by 400,000 HIV/AIDS patients and people living with the virus. 

Drug evaluation and registration team leader with the authority, Bekele Tefera said a list of ten of the 15 kinds of life prolonging drugs to be used  in the country was presented  for discussion.

 Bekele urged donors, international agencies and non-governmental organizations to devise means to make  the drugs available for the beneficiaries and partake in the supply of the drugs as the cost was far beyond the capacity of the government.

 Bekele was speaking here on Thursday at the opening of a three day workshop  organized to revise life prolonging HIV/ AIDS  drug list.  

The health budget of the country for the year 1999 was about 781 million Birr as compared to the estimated cost of the HIV/AIDS drugs, he said.

 Some 130 life prolonging drugs which were potent, quality and proved to cure various diseases were presented to the workshop, he said, adding after evaluations and further amendments the drugs would be administered from federal referral hospitals to health post levels .

 According to the team leader, the revision and amendments in the drug list would help identify the right drugs to be used as well as avoid the wastage of drugs. 

Deputy Vice minister, Dr. Lamisso Hyisso said on the occasion that the health policy, the capacity of manpower and financial resources as well as the quality and curative values of the  drugs would determine the selection.

 Some 80  participants  drown from all states' health bureaus, various ministries, health and research institutions, professional associations, drug importers and distributors as well as people living with the virus were in attendance at the workshop.  

(END)