News

Strike must not disrupt drug supply to HIV, TB and other chronic patients says SANAC

27 August 2010

The South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) appealed to health workers today to make sure that the strike did not interrupt the flow of life-saving antiretrovirals and TB drugs to patients needing them, and to ensure that diabetic, epileptic and blood pressure patients could also get their medications.

More than a million South Africans are on ARVS and disrupting their treatment could jeopardise their health and increase the risk of drug resistance.

“œA failure to ensure an uninterrupted flow of medication”¦will be seen for years to come and could adversely affect thousands of people,” warned SANAC deputy chairperson Mark Heywood.

Patients struggling to get their chronic medicines during the public sector strike can contact the SA National AIDS Council Nerve Centre for assistance at (012) 395 9078/9, (012) 395 9081/7/8/9 or (012) 395 9090 or e-mail: sanacnervecentre@gmail.com.