CALCSICOVA denounced problems in the dispensation of ARVs in Valencia

-The new hospital guidelines require to provide antiretroviral drugs only in each patient referral hospitals.

-Adherence to treatment is one of the key factors in the control of the disease.

Valencia, March 2012.- Thomas met with a surprise when going to collect, as usual, their drugs to his hospital, there told her that already not given their medication that I had to go to the hospital pharmacy that correspond you by area. Arriving at the new hospital hospital pharmacy, you were denied drugs alluding to the fact that the recipe was not signed by a physician of the hospital. The result was that Thomas ran out of medication, with the consequent risk that that implies for his health due to the characteristics of HIV infection, that do not strictly follow the treatment for people living with HIV could facilitate the emergence of resistance. In addition to the added difficulty that face patients by fear to lose the confidentiality.

Thomas is not an isolated instance according to the Coordinator of partnerships to combat AIDS of the Valencian Community (CALCSICOVA), receiving complaints of this type since the new guidelines for the management of the hospital Arnau Vilanova and the General Hospital of Valencia indicate that from now patients can only retrieve the treatment (which is supplied only in hospital pharmacies) in his hospital of area, although they have been treated since his diagnosis in another hospital, with the goal of reducing costs in pharmacy. This fact, according to CALCSICOVA, leads to the paradoxical situation that patients are cared for in a hospital and have to pick up the drugs in another. For the Coordinator, the result of this new measure will lead to a deterioration in the necessary coordination and communication between the physician, pharmacy service and patient.

In the words of Carlos M. Gomez, President of CALCSICOVA, is a nonsense, because if this situation is generalized in the rest of Valencia hospitals, all end up sending patients to different pharmacy services, creating chaos in the coordination ”, and adds that these measures are not going to produce any rationalization of expendituredrugs will continue to offer, but yes they are going to cause coordination problems and disorders for patients ”.

After having held meetings with the management of the two hospitals affected by the new guidelines, CALCSICOVA has requested this week a meeting with the Directorate General of pharmacy of the Conselleria of health of the Valencian Community to address this issue and in order to seek solutions and avoid these measures is widespread. Adds Carlos M. Gomez to although we recognize the exceptional due to the economic situation, we do not see that these measures will lead to any savings, and times and forms are not being correct by precipitation and worrying consequences ”.