The Director General of the National Malaria Control Programme (PNLP), has refuted allegations that Rwanda is running out of Malaria drugs stock. Dr Corine Karema was reacting to recent media reports that the country was running out of stock. At the moment we have enough drugs that can take us until the end of 2009, we shall import another 2 million doses next year, Karema said during an exclusive interview. She said PNLP had supplied the entire country with enough antenesium-based combination ACT known as Coartem and distributed freely new long lasting bed nets to people living with HIV/Aids. Coartem is an anti-Malaria drug manufactured by the American pharmaceutical company Novartis. The drug was recently earmarked by World Health Organisation (WHO) as the best treatment available for malaria in tropical areas. It is also the official dosage accepted by government of Rwanda in the treatment of malaria. In an email, Laura Daunis, an official with Novartis said the cost of the drug had been reduced by 20 percent. Karema said the reduction in cost was good news for the fight against Malaria but she added that Rwanda was already subsidizing the cost of the drug. She added that a dose of ACT now costs Frw 300 at health centres and the price reduces even further when the patient has Mutuelle de Sante, the community health insurance. A national Health Management information Survey, indicates that 73 percent of the Rwandan population are insured with Mutuelle.Ends
