A total of 44,000 HIV/AIDS sufferers in Tanzania will get anti-retroviral drugs for free by the end of this year, according to reports reaching here on Thursday.

The Health Ministry announced in the parliament on Wednesday that the government had set aside 20 million US dollars for the purchase of anti-retroviral drugs and the free-drug distribution program would benefit 23,000 Tanzanians living with HIV/AIDS between July and December this year.

According to the ministry, so far the government has been dispensing free-drugs at the 96 health centers across the country to 21,000 patients, including 4,240 children.

An estimated 2 million people have been infected with HIV/AIDS in the east African country with a population of 35 million.

The disease claims some 140,000 lives a year and has made 12 percent of the country's children AIDS orphans.

Tanzania has envisaged to serve up to 500,000 HIV/AIDS suffers with free-drugs in a period of five years.

Source: Xinhua