Cape Town: President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed concern at the potential impact of the decision by the United States government to suspend some of its funding for HIV and Tuberculosis (TB) programmes in African countries for 90 days. “This funding accounts for about 17% of our country’s HIV spend. We have been able to provide funding from our fiscus for our HIV and TB programmes over the years,” the President said on Thursday, in Cape Town.

According to South African Government News Agency, delivering the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday, the President said government was looking at various interventions to address the immediate needs and ensure the continuity of essential services. The review of the grant funding programmes affects the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programme, which is aimed at supporting HIV prevention, care, and treatment. The programme supports several countries, including South Africa, to achieve HIV epidemic control.

The President highlighted the progress made towards ending HIV and AIDS as public health threats. By the end of March 2024, 96 percent of people living with HIV knew their status, 79 percent of these were on antiretroviral treatment, and 94 percent of those on treatment were virally suppressed. To ensure that South Africa reaches its target of 95-95-95, the President announced plans to launch a massive campaign this year to identify an additional 1.1 million people who are not on treatment.