Gauteng does not yet have a budget or alternative funding to mitigate the loss of the money it received from USAID.
However, the provincial health department has submitted a motivation to the National Treasury to increase its conditional grant budget.
This was the response of MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko to a question from the ANC’s Matshidiso Mfikoe in the provincial legislature on Tuesday.
Mfikoe wanted to know what the impact of the withdrawal of USAID was, as well as what alternative funding sources or partnerships the department has explored to mitigate the loss of US assistance.
“We communicated with [the] national [health department] then [it] said we must just do our own budget. What they [USAID] used to help us with is around R1.4bn, so now we have to look into the budget,” she said.
We communicated with [the] national [health department] then [it] said we must just do our own budget.
— Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko
USAID issued notices to HIV organisations in SA funded by Pepfar (the president’s emergency plan for Aids relief) notifying them that it was permanently terminating their funding. It cited allegations of extensive wasteful spending within the agency as the reason for the decision.
Nkomo-Ralehoko told the legislature that community outreach services such as HIV/Aids testing, counselling, treatment, and care and support services were affected.
In addition, data accuracy and quality had been compromised due to a shortage of data capturers funded by Pepfar.
“HR [human resource] support had to halt [and] that impacts the availability of skilled personnel that is funded by Pepfar, which is crucial for maintaining quality and continuity of care in high-volume facilities,” she said.
“We are suffering in the area of data capturers, the area of nurse-initiated management of antiretroviral therapy, and teletracers, including treatment navigators. [There are also] insufficient supplies and ICT equipment.”
Nkomo-Ralehoko said the department had come up with several interventions to mitigate the loss of funding, including community outreach services, which have been redirected to fixed health facilities and mobile clinics.
“We funded the NPO [nonprofit organisation] for HIV testing services to conduct track and trace for missing clients. We have been doing that, but they [USAID] have been beefing up in that specific area,” she said.
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