Treatment Preparedness Coalition in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ITPCru) expresses its deep concern over the situation in Kazakhstan where hundreds of people for several weeks have been facing stock-outs of life-saving antiretroviral treatment.

Based on the available information, including messages left on the website pereboi.kz, AIDS clinics either refuse to provide some antiretroviral drugs, or change HIV treatment regimens due to lack of medicines.

Civil society organizations report that the problem lies in the way the procurement and provision of antiretroviral drugs has been organized, including procurement via international agencies. This situation puts at risk the health of people living with HIV in the Republic of Kazakhstan, undermines the efforts to stop the epidemic and discredits the idea of optimizing procurement process and reducing prices using the opportunities provided by international procurement mechanisms.

We urge all the stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, SK-Pharmatsia, UNICEF, UNDP, UNAIDS, WHO, pharmaceutical companies, and community organizations to take all the necessary measures to solve the problem; if required, the option of urgent supplies of drugs as humanitarian aid shall be utilized. ITPCru is ready to provide informational or technical support should it be needed.