HARARE, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe has adequate stocks of anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) that will last until the first quarter of next year, Health and Child Care Minister Obadiah Moyo said on Wednesday, allaying fears of a possible shortage.
Zimbabwe has an estimated one million people who are on the life-prolonging drugs with an estimated 65 percent of the one million people on first line of treatment while the remainder is on the second line.
The state news agency New Ziana reported that Moyo told Parliament during the question and answer session that the country was in a "safe zone" when it comes to the availability of ARVs.
"I do not want people to panic unnecessarily," Moyo said. "For the first line, we have adequate supplies up to the end of the first quarter in 2020 and the second line drugs will last up to the end of the year."
Zimbabwe is facing foreign currency shortages that have impacted on among others, procurement of medical drugs.
Moyo told Parliament that there were various avenues that the government was exploring including partnerships with Indian firms to ensure that supplies are kept at required levels.
