President of the Ghana Network of Persons Living with HIV and AIDS, (NAP+ Ghana), Elsie Ayeh, has called on the government to scrap the various taxes placed on anti-retroviral drugs donated to Ghana.

AU Tax, ECOWAS Tax, and COVID-19 Tax have been placed on the drugs currently at the port, she said.

According to her, it is unacceptable for the government to tax drugs that the country receives as donations.

"We are calling on the government to remove that tax waiver. We know that the medication is free. Free in the sense that they were donated. Why should our country tax those medications that have come in free? That is what we don't understand," she said in an interview on JoyNews' The Pulse on October 6, 2023.

"Is that tax more important than the number of PLHIV who are virally suppressed at this time who have to continue taking their medication so that we remain healthy, we don't transmit HIV and we also enable our country to reach that target that we are all heading towards? That is AIDS-free population by 2030. We don't want the new infections coming on board," she further stated.

Her concern comes at a time when there is a shortage of anti-retroviral medication, specifically the Abacavir Lamivudine regimen, which is vital for Persons Living with HIV (PLHIV) nationwide.

'We are just to go to the facility and get our medication, and that is what we confidently do every time we have to go to the clinic. And we know that these medications are at the harbour. We had talked about it, made moves to ensure that the medications were now okay for us to access but then surprisingly, it came as a surprise 2 days ago when we heard at Korle-Bu there were no medications, Abacavir Lamivudine regimen especially the which we know is among those drugs still at the harbour. Our members can't do anything," Elsie Ayeh said.

A total of 354,927 people live with HIV AIDS. And out of this figure, 115,235 are males, while 239,692 are females

On the matter, Director General or the Ghana Aids Commission, Dr Stephen Kyeremeh Atuahene has entreated the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to prioritize the HIV commodities to get them released immediately.

"Because there are several containers of various health commodities at the port which are in the same category of non-clearance. So it is very necessary."

"Any break in supply of anti-retroviral medicines to people living with HIV is a serious risk to their lives and we should not do anything to undermine their lives," he warned.