A group of Ukrainians infected with HIV warned today that thousands could soon perish because the war-torn country was running out of treatment for the virus responsible for AIDS.
The activists staged a poignant protest in which they marked out territory for a symbolic cemetery outside the government building in central Kiev.
"We are calling on the prime minister and the government of Ukraine to avert this catastrophe," protest coordinator Volodymyr Zhovtyak said in a statement.
"After all, medication being used by 30,000 HIV-positive people will run out in three weeks," he wrote.
Activists link the problem to a law adopted last year allowing drug suppliers to receive full prepayment for medication they would not be required to deliver for up to six months.
The government's controversial decision was prompted by a technicality requiring money earmarked in the federal budget for specific programmes to be disbursed by the end of the fiscal year.
The Ukrainian Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS said the change meant medication that was supposed to be delivered by the end of 2014 may not reach the ex-Soviet country's poorly-stocked clinics until June 10.
Health Minister Alexander Kvitashvili told a cabinet meeting he was aware of the problem and was working with international humanitarian organisations to avert an all-out crisis.
"We have supplies through the end of June," said Kvitashvili. "The deadline for (drug) companies' deliveries is June 19."
The World Health Organization believes Ukraine is currently suffering from the worst HIV epidemic in Europe.
It reported 230,000 HIV-positive cases among Ukrainians 15 or older -- about 0.8 percent of that age group.
Ukraine's own statistics show 124,000 HIV-positive people registered for treatment with the government as of April 1. Health authorities identified 4,563 new cases in the first four months of the year.
Health officials fear the situation may only grow worse because transmission of the disease has crossed from the gay community and intravenous drug users to predominantly affect the general public.
The World Health Organization attributes 57 percent of last year's HIV infections to unprotected sex. Drug use was responsible for just a quarter of the cases -- a relatively low number indicating the virus was spreading.
