Achi news desk-
Advocates for people living with HIV/AIDS are decrying a decision by the federal government to stop funding a program that provides HIV self-test kits that clients can take home.
The take-home kits have been an effective option for people in marginalized communities, people involved in the street or anyone who does not feel comfortable in a traditional health care setting and wants to test for HIV, he said Richard MacDonagh from the London Intercommunity Health Centre.
LIHC provides HIV testing at its location, but has also been distributing the kits, which were approved for use by Health Canada in 2020.
“One of the things we always consider is that not all of the people who are at risk or who might be positive necessarily seek care,” MacDonagh said. “The self-testing is important because it can reach those populations that may not be accessing sexual health clinics. This is something that can be more peer-led.”
INSTI HIV self-test kits use a finger prick to test for the virus and can provide results in minutes. They can be ordered online for about $35.
In August 2022 Ottawa invested $17 million to support the tests and distribute the self-administered tests to various community organizations.
The program was extended in 2023 but that extension ended in March this year.
In a statement to CBC News, Health Canada said funding for the self-test kits is always going to have a time limit and kits that have already been distributed have a shelf life of 15 months.
“We are certainly concerned that this resource is no longer available,” said Meredith Fraser, director of education at the London-based Regional HIV/AIDS Connection. “Self-test kits are a good way for people to know their HIV status and this program provided those kits in a very accessible way, so it’s certainly a concern locally and nationally that they are no longer available through this programme.”
Fraser said the kits are a good way to address the decline in HIV testing that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, and removing funding will eliminate what has become a “vital resource” for testing and treatment.
“It really continues to exacerbate health inequalities and the people who are systematically marginalized and oppressed,” he said.
He said the ease of use of the kits in a private setting can lead to increased detection, especially in cases where someone does not know they are HIV-positive and can unknowingly spread the virus that causes AIDS.
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