Ethiopian Red Cross to Offer Free ARVs to AIDS Patients

The Ethiopian Red Cross Society will distribute free antiretroviral drugs, starting mid-December, to people with HIV/AIDS who cannot afford them, an ERCS official said Monday. "The society is preparing to distribute the drugs free of charge to low-income HIV-positive people in Addis Ababa, with the first beneficiaries to be sex workers," Getachew Gezahegn told a gathering to mark World AIDS Day, adding that his office has been selling ARVs at reasonable prices in two stores it has opened in the city. "It is estimated that currently between 300 to 1,500 people are expected to come forward to prove that they are incapable of meeting the cost of the ARVs, so that they can get them free of charge," Getachew said. UNAIDS estimates 3 million Ethiopians have HIV, and most of them are unable to afford drugs.

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