South Africa : National health steps in to help Free State

By Gabi Khumalo

Johannesburg - The National Department of Health has stepped in to ensure that the Free State Department of Health's anti-retroviral (ARV) programme is able to continue despite a dire lack of funds.

Speaking at the opening of the new wing at the Zuzimpilo Medical Centre on Tuesday, Health Minister Barbara Hogan said the department was concerned about media reports regarding the ARV programme in the Free State.

According to reports, the province has been experiencing a shortage of funds which has in turn led to ARV treatment for new patients being stopped with the exception of pregnant women and those who are already on the treatment programme.

The Free State Department of Health issued a statement of Tuesday conceding that the dire financial situation had forced them to institute cost containment measures such as postponing all non-emergency surgeries until the end of January, discharging those patients who do not need high care and redirecting all or privately funded patients to private hospitals nearby.

These measures will apply to the 31 hospitals and clinics in the province.

Ms Hogan said treatment, including ARVs, form a critical component of the department's HIV and AIDS programme in the country and also forms part of its policy.

"Naturally, we were quite worried about these reports and after consultations with senior officials in the department and my counterpart in the Free State, I decided to act."

The minister first dispatched a team of senior officials to go to the Free State and do an assessment on the situation.

"The idea behind this move was to allow for our officials to interact with their counterparts in the province, both from the health department and treasury to understand what the cause of the problem was and what we needed to resolve it," said Ms Hogan.

The second step the national department took was to bring forward the release of R9.5 million in conditional grants as part of ensuring the procurement processes in relation to the ARV programme were able to continue.

"I am glad to announce that these measures have at least enabled us to circumvent what could have been a tragic and embarrassing situation, all on the eve of the World Aids Day."

Further to this, the minister is consulting with senior officials in the department with a view to conducting rapid assessments in other provinces so that they can get a sense of what the challenges are and what interventions needed to make from a national level to ensure that the department's treatment programme does not get compromised as a result of budgetary or financial management problems.

During the event on Tuesday, the minister called on all sectors of society to assist in heightening government's prevention campaign. - BuaNews