It is believed that other health facilities in Gauteng are also without stock.
“Doctors working in Gauteng reported that some clinics had run out of stock of the ARV medicine combination Lopinavir/Ritonavir, also known as Alluvia,” said DA Springs/Daveyton constituency head, Ashor Sarupen MPL, in a statement.
Sarupen was alarmed by the shortage when he recently visited municipal clinics in Springs and Daveyton.
“The shortage of critical ARVs is a serious problem, as there are no other effective treatments available to replace these medicines and when patients are not taking the medicine consistently, it causes further damage to their already fragile immune system,” he stated.
Alluvia is given to patients as part of a second-line treatment when the first-line ARV medicine fails to suppress HIV/Aids.
Also in short supply is the medicine Abacavir, also called ABC, which is part of a combination therapy used to treat children and is aimed at preventing HIV from multiplying.
A sign posted on the door of the Bakerton Clinic notifies community members that the clinic is closed due to staff shortages and patients are referred to the Payneville Clinic.
Themba Gadebe, Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality spokesman, says the availability of Alluvia has been a national challenge that has affected all facilities in Ekurhuleni.
He says an audit was conducted at the end of July to determine stock levels of Alluvia and patient numbers.
The audit was assessed and stock was redistributed accordingly.
“Continuous orders were placed and followed-up with the Medical Supplies Depot (MSD),” he says.
“The Germiston depot received a partial delivery of 1 700 units of Alluvia on September 23 which was allocated to various clinics.
“The next delivery is expected on October 7, but quantities are unconfirmed.”
The availability of ABC has been a national challenge since December 2014.
It was distributed to health facilities according to patient numbers to ensure the distribution of stock.
The 60mg tablets were distributed between July 29 and September 9 and the ABC solution between August 4 and September 10.
“Germiston depot has ABC solution in stock and awaits delivery of 60mg tablets from MSD,” says Gadebe.
Shortage of both items was caused by circumstances beyond the control of Ekurhuleni.
Gadebe says they are trying to prevent such challenges by continuously ordering ARV medication and following up on the delivery and availability of all medicines.
“We will also involve the district pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee to advise on alternative means in the cases of a critical shortage,” he adds.
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