Flight disruptions: ARVs for HIV-positive travellers in the UK
19 April 2010. Related: News.
The cancellation of air travel to and from the UK may have resulted in some HIV-positive travellers having insufficient ARVs to cover their extended stay.
People in London can contact the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital who are aware of the problem. The advice from C&W is that any foreign nationals who are short of medication can contact this clinic and get an appointment with any specialist HIV doctor.
The C&W will not charge for consultations and will charge for medications at cost price, for up to two weeks. The pharmacy will dispense one week of medication, and charge for this medication. If the patient is still unable to leave the UK after the first week, the pharmacy will then dispense the second weeks supply and again charge the patient the cost price for the medication.
Patients should be able to get a similar service from other clinics in the UK, but this will require each clinic to have at least one doctor who is insured to issue private prescriptions, as they will not be covered by the NHS insurance.
Other clinics should not charge a consultancy fee to see foreign patients, although this is at their discretion.
The British Association for Sexual Health and HIV has an online directory of clinics in the UK. The link on their home page includes a search facility by town or postcode.
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Kobler Clinic
Ground Floor
St Stephen’s Centre (next door to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital)
369 Fulham Road
London
SW10 9NH
Telephone appointments:
020 8846 6699