The Ministry of Health (MOH) have finally added HIV medications to their list of subsidised drugs, for the first time in the history of Singapore.
Listed as Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART), HIV medications are not limited to Kivexa and Triumeq, which are both covered on the Standard Drug List, which is the list of subsidised drugs in Singapore.
Triumeq previously cost around S$580, now its about S$290 at NUH.
Other HIV medications are also available at subsidised prices via the Medication Assistance Fund (MAF)
Non-governmental organisation, Action for Aids, Singapore (AFA) said they were “heartened” by the news.
They said: “We have long championed the need for ARTs to be subsidised and made affordable for all Persons Living with HIV (PLHIV). International and local experience have shown that ARTs are the most important clinical intervention for improving longevity and preventing opportunistic infections, which in turn leads to PLHIVs leading full and productive lives.”
HIV positive people can reduce their viral load to undetectable levels with regular meedication and medical follow-ups, which negates the possibility of virus transmission.