Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has undertaken to personally investigate the cases of HIV-infected patients allegedly refused antiretroviral treatment (ART) in the Free Sate, as reported by the Mail and Guardian two weeks ago.
Listen to an audio recording of Free State health minister Sisi Mabe’s comments
One of the patients, Nanaki Mohajane, died in Bloemfontein’s National District Hospital in October. Medical reports show medical staff failed to give her life-saving ARV drugs.
Another, Lerato Tsamai, moved to a private clinic when her CD4 count — a measurement of the strength of a patient’s immune system — plummeted to 25. She said that nurses at the National District Hospital and state clinics in Mangaung refused to give her antiretrovirals.
Activists attribute the refusal to administer ARVs to drug shortages and a lack of trained medical staff.
In the M&G article, Free State health minister Sisi Mabe denied that there was a shortage of ARVs in the province.
However, Motsoaledi told the M&G: ”I don’t know why she would say that. We’ve heard, especially from the TAC, about these types of problems in the Free State — particularly with regard to management of the supply of ARVs.”
Mabe also told the M&G that patients with CD4 counts as low as Tsamai’s did not receive immediate treatment because it would negatively affect their health and they should first undergo ”nutritional therapy”.
This outraged doctors and activists, who say ARVs should be administered in such cases within two weeks.
Said Motsoaledi: ”The question of whether somebody is reacting [negatively] to ARVs must be left to doctors; it can¹t be an issue determined by politicians. I even told her [Mabe] that. But she now denies that she made such a statement.”
Motsoaledi is meeting the CEOs of all state hospitals next week to discuss the challenges relating to ARV availability.
He has asked the TAC to submit a detailed report of the problems in the Free State to acting HIV/Aids director, Thobile Mbengashe.
Meanwhile, the TAC is planning a protest march to Mabe’s office.