Nigeria: Patient fees prevent access to AIDS drugs, activists say

Patient fees are deterring poverty-stricken Nigerians from participating in a government-subsidised scheme to provide HIV/AIDS medication, according to a coalition campaigning for free access to the life prolonging drugs. According to the coalition, which includes French NGO Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and representatives of people living with HIV/AIDS, the monthly charge of 1,000 Naira (US $7.50) for the antiretroviral (ARV) medication is more than many Nigerians can afford.