Trump can't be blamed for cutting funding to SA's HIV/AIDS programmes - Motsoaledi

CAPE TOWN - Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says United States (US) President Donald Trump can’t be blamed for cutting funding to the country’s HIV/AIDS programmes. 

He says that while the impact of this has left many fearful of the consequences, it won’t cause the country’s treatment programmes to collapse. 

Meanwhile, Parliament’s health committee says it will meet with the Treatment Action Campaign to discuss their concerns after activists disrupted a parliamentary committee meeting on Wednesday to flag the reduced access to drugs, following the closure of President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)-funded clinics. 

Under fire for what some perceive to be the slow response by the health minister to plug the R7.9 billion funding shortfall, Motsoaledi says he understands this is a stressful situation.

But he says the country needs to move past what’s happened and unite in efforts to get more than a million people on life-saving drugs before the end of the year. 

“We must accept that President Donald Trump has taken away what belongs to his country.”

He’s lashed out at media houses, whom he says are spreading misinformation about the impact the funding withdrawal is having on treatment campaigns.

“Propagating wrong information about the HIV/AIDS campaign in the manner that’s being done is no different from the approach adopted by AfriForum, and its ilk, which led Trump to thrash the whole country.”

Motsoaledi says over 60,000 patient files have been transferred from clinics that have been closed to public healthcare facilities. 

He adds that these patients are also being contacted by these facilities to inform them of the changes.