Global Fund buoys local Aids campaign

Published Dec 21, 2010

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South Africa’s ability to treat HIV and reduce new infections received a boost this week when the country was awarded a $302-million (R2.1 billion) grant by the Global Fund, 65 percent of which will be used for Aids treatment.

The money, which will be paid over five years, will allow the government to add at least 175 000 more people to the list of those who receive antiretroviral (ARV) treatment.

Thobile Mbengashe, the head of HIV/Aids in the Department of Health, said yesterday that these patients would be over and above the people who would benefit from the government’s R4.2bn contract to procure ARVs for the next two years.

“The money from the Global Fund is additional. At the moment, there are 1.1 million people who are on treatment and the government plans to add 500 000 more by the end of the financial year,” Mbengashe said.

The 175 000 who will benefit through the Global Fund grant will be added over five years.

The Global Fund is a public-private partnership dedicated to attracting and disbursing additional resources to prevent and treat HIV/Aids, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria.

Since its creation in 2002 the Global Fund has approved funding of $21.7bn for 150 countries.

Mbengashe said the money would not be used just to buy ARVs.

“In terms of the national programme, the core component is to reduce the number of new infections substantially by 2015, because if we don’t reduce new infections the programme will not be sustainable.”

As part of the strategy, the money will also be used to increase the number of nurses who can administer ARV treatment at the 4 300 health facilities around the country in order to make the treatment easily accessible. At present there are just over 2 000 nurses who can perform this function.

The money will also go towards buying more condoms so they can be made available in places such as taxi ranks and hotels. Mbengashe said the plan was to increase condom distribution from 450 million to 1 billion.

The other priority area will be medical male circumcision, which will receive $33m. Mbengashe said the department was targeting 5.7 million people over the next five years.

A significant portion of $10m will go towards strengthening the physical health systems structures and community response to HIV/Aids and TB, while $8m will be allocated to direct support for the TB programmes.

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