Is there really a shortage of ARV meds in the Philippines?

There has been a lot of rumors circulating on my Twitter account regarding the limited supplies of ARVs in several treatment hubs particularly in RITM-Alabang. It's quite alarming since the shortage just begun a month ago. As what I've heard, one of the reasons why clinics run out of life saving drugs is because of holding the release from Bureau of Customs.

The government shouldn't ignore this issue since a lot of us depends on these drugs, as this may prolong our life.

The fact that ARVs are still free, it's still useless if these aren't available. I can definitely feel the frustration of my co-pozzies if they weren't able to get these meds. You don’t give a person HIV treatment and suppress the viral load, and then take it away from them. That would be like killing them.

Although I was able to get 2 months of ARV meds from my hub (Makati Med), (thank God), I still feel worried if I ran out of ARVs and would experience the same situation. If that happens, maybe I'll have to contact a friend of mine in Thailand and ask him how to get ARV in Bangkok.

If this won't get resolved in the next few weeks or months, it'll not only puts people at risk of dying of Aids-related illnesses, but could increase the number of those infected with drug-resistant HIV.

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