Antiretroviral drugs for HIV patients are becoming more widely available in many sub-Saharan countries, yet they struggle to make their way to outlying clinics.
A report released by international medical and humanitarian organisation Médicins Sans Frontières shows that many countries are routinely failing at ‘the last mile’ due to inefficient procedures, logistical challenges and lack of resources.
According to a Mail & Guardian Africa report, between 20% and 25% of local health centres in South Africa are unable to dispense the complete amount of one or more HIV or TB medications, while in 80% of the cases they do not reach clinics at all.
Similar issues affect an even larger percentage of clinics in Mozambique and the DRC. According to the report, governmental commitment and international donors are essential in improving the delivery of medicine.
