The medicine shortage in Venezuela has reached a critical level as medication for HIV is no longer becoming accessible. Over the past 18 years the Venezuelan national government was able to supply the drug Isentress, a antiretroviral medicine, to HIV patients who couldn't afford the drug. However, the current economic decline has limited the amount of supplies that could be attained. Eduardo Franco, President of Manos Amigas Por La Vida, a Venezuelan NGO, commented “I’ve got some bad news, and some good news, The bad news is we still don’t know when the government will import Isentress, The good news is we have a donation in Colombia, but we need to get it across the border…and pay the National Guard.”
