Zimbabwe pharmacies face ARV shortages

Pharmacies in Zimbabwe have reported serious shortages of antiretroviral drugs as a result of the country's economic collapse. According to a report by the South African Press Association, only one in four pharmacies has access to medicines for the treatment of HIV/AIDS, malaria, epilepsy, hypertension and diabetes. Ishe Nkomo, the president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Zimbabwe, told the SAPA that lack of foreign currency was preventing importers from accessing foreign suppliers.

"Most pharmacies can no longer afford to import drugs, so the few that are still importing tend to be expensive," Dr Nkomo said. In addition to high drug prices, political and economic conditions in Zimbabwe have led to over 16,000 nurses leaving for the UK alone in the past eight years.