Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has made a firm commitment that not a single South African will be deprived of access to anti-retroviral (ARV), drugs despite recent budget cuts to the United States driven Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar).

Responding to oral questions in the National Council of Provinces, Motsoaledi addressed concerns raised by the funding reductions and outlined measures his department is implementing to safeguard treatment for those living with HIV.

“We called several workshops and meetings and issued a circular, advising the provinces to redeploy trained health officials to fill gaps left by Pepfar,” he said and explained initiatives for the distribution and collection of medication.

Motsoaledi also said they believed the measures that have been taken will go a long way.

“Anybody attending a clinic funded by Pepfar, if it is closed, they must come back to public health clinics and facilities,” he said.

Motsoaledi said there were a number of districts where they provide the work done by Pepfar funded clinics.

He said they were in the process of absorbing Pepfar employed staff.

“Things are going so well, even 21 days after the announcement was made. We went to Johannesburg Chris Hani Hospital and Lillian Ngoyi community centre and launched a new HIV/Aids treatment campaign targeted at reaching 1,1 million persons linked to the 95-95-95 targets that were adopted from the United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids.

“We are confident we can still do it.”

Motsoaledi said they have implemented a number of other measures.

“We are also meeting with a lot of funders. The discussions are still ongoing.”

He said although the foreign funding will affect staffing, South Africa was buying its own ARVs with at least 90% bought with money from the fiscus and 10% bought by the Global Fund.

Motsoaledi noted that Pepfar funded salaries of about 15,000 people.

“They are unemployed. That is why we met so many funders. We are having many meetings everyday about that. We feel bad for these people who lost jobs.”

Asked if BRICS countries have committed to take up the shortfall that was created by the US in cutting Pepfar funding, he said they have met a number of countries.

“I am not going to disclose before the finality. We have also met quite a number of funders.”

He said the countries and funders that were approached have indicated that they would come back.

“There is no country anywhere in the world that had a pot of money put somewhere, waiting for explosion of the US. They are going back to rearrange their things before they can come in. It is too early to say people have not come to the party. They may still come.”

Motsoaledi noted that Pepfar funding was “top heavy on administration” and his department was analysing the work done by the staff, among other things.

“We are making an analysis and will share that with the funders and Treasury,” he said.

Motsoaledi noted that the issues of research through Pepfar funding was a set back to South Africa and also the US.

“Part of the research benefitted us and was then sent to the US pharmaceutical companies to know what products to produce,” he said.

mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za