Motsoaledi dismisses suggestions PEPFAR withdrawal will collapse govt programmes

CAPE TOWN - Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has moved to counter suggestions that the withdrawal of United States funding for HIV/AIDS treatment is threatening the collapse of government programmes. 

US President Donald Trump withdrew the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, in January this year, which in this year would have contributed around R7.9 billion to treatment programmes in eight provinces of the country. 

Motsoaledi has come under fire in Parliament and from activists for not being proactive enough to plug the funding gap and to stop the closure of clinics. 

READ: PEPFAR funding cut to only affect staffing, says Motsoaledi

At a media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday, Motsoaledi has, however, hit back at the media for what he said are false narratives linked to the withdrawal of funding. 

The health minister said the files of patients who were receiving treatment at PEPFAR-funded clinics have been transferred to other sites. 

"It is inconceivable that out of the R6.8 billion spent by the country on the HIV/AIDS programme, the withdrawal of  R7.9 billion by President Trump will immediately lead to the collapse of the entire programme. We believe it’s inconceivable."