Read more
Picture: PENpics Studio / Shutterstock
The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) says over 15,000 healthcare workers have lost their jobs because of a decision by the United States (US) government to stop dispensing foreign aid to South Africa.
US President Donald Trump has also signed an executive order against the country over its land policy. He described the South African government as doing “horrible things”.
ALSO READ: SA faces crisis as Trump stops critical HIV funding
TAC chairperson Sibongile Tshabalala said this decision has negatively affected them and other non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
“The withdrawal of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) supported NGOs from our clinics has led to the departure of 15,154 clinic staff with years of institutional knowledge.”
Tshabalala said the impact of halting US aid can already be felt in many clinics around the country.
“The immediate impact is of waiting times getting longer, people living with HIV going home with just one or two month’s worth of pills. Some people are being turned away from clinics because they don’t have a transfer letter, after the drop-in centre or mobile services they were using had shut down,” she said.
Tshabalala said the chaos in the clinics might get worse over time.
But she said her biggest fear is that some patients might stop collecting their medicine.
“It is extremely concerning, and the long-lasting impact will be of increased deaths and more HIV infections,” she added.
The TAC has played a major role in advocating for the rights of people living and affected by HIV. In the early 90s they led the charge against government forcing it to provide free ARV treatment at a time when many South Africans were dying of HIV/AIDS.
TAC general secretary, Anele Yawa said the cancellation of funding to HIV/AIDS programmes is a major setback to the gains that the country has made in the fight against HIV.
“The work of TAC and Ritshidze is more crucial now than ever. We should be using our established presence in communities and clinics, as well as our community-led monitoring teams, to monitor the existing and emerging issues, but much of our funding has been suspended,” he said.
Yawa said they had to take drastic measures to avoid being closed down due to Trump’s decision. This included retrenching workers and redesigning some of their structures.
“We will try to merge the TAC and Ritshidze structures so that we can keep monitoring a smaller group of clinics and have the branches and teams ready to run campaigns to push for improvements.
“But the reality is that we don’t have enough money for this yet. Just as the situation is worsening in our clinics, our ability to monitor and expose the challenges has been cut,” he said.
Non-Profit Organization (NPO) Witkoppen Clinic in Fourways has also retrenched healthcare workers after funding cuts.
“On Friday, February 28, section 189 letters were issued to staff, indicating that 21 out of our 107 employees are expected to be retrenched. This process is anticipated to conclude in May.
“Until then, services will continue as usual, and we will adjust service delivery accordingly after May,” she said.
Currently, Witkoppen Clinic has approximately 7,200 active patients in their HIV Program receiving antiretrovirals, and more than 1,500 patients on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) as a preventative measure.
“After May, the clinic will be stretched to its limits in serving these patients. Unfortunately, not all patients will be able to receive the necessary services, as Witkoppen is already experiencing an increase in patient numbers due to other clinics closing in the Johannesburg area,” she said.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the government will ensure that South Africans living with HIV/AIDS continue receiving antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) despite the withdrawal of foreign aid from the United States (US).
The Citizen reported that the health department was in talks with the Treasury to seek assistance in areas where the cutting of US aid has created problems.
He confirmed that South Africa is funding the majority of its HIV/AIDS programmes.
However, he appealed to all those who are on ARV treatment to continue despite the current blow on NGOs assisting with HIV prevention and treatment.
NOW READ: US judge orders Trump’s funding freeze on aid programmes lifted
Download our app