Deputy President Paul Mashatile has announced that the government will provide HIV-positive patients with a six-month supply of antiretroviral (ARV) medication, a notable boost from the current two-to-three-month intervals.
He made the promise after the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) submitted a memorandum to him during a picket in the Eastern Cape, where he was delivering a keynote address at Sunday’s World Aids Day commemoration.
The TAC asked that the National Department of Health “urgently finalise the planning and forecasting process to ensure all eligible people get a six-month supply of ARVs if they want it”, and an implementation plan with timelines be made public by 15 December.
“Roll-out must start before the end of 2024. At least 30% of people living with HIV must be receiving a six-month supply by the end of June 2025,” the memorandum read.
TimesLIVE reports that Mashatile acknowledged the demands, saying they were not unreasonable.
“What you are asking for, the government will do,” he said. “This will also make it easier for us to deal with the 95-95-95 issue. We will implement this for the entire country…because this is something we must do.”
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
TAC calls for six-monthly ARV supply
Health Department considers six-month ARV supplies to meet targets
Trial looks at community-based multi-month dispensing of ARVS