He was responding to reports that boxes of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs were found among the wreckage of a bus crash in Limpopo on Sunday. The discovery prompted questions about how large quantities of medication ended up in private hands.
Motsoaledi said the issue stems from the lack of an integrated national health information system, which allows some patients to visit several clinics undetected.
“Quite a number of people, sometimes even South Africans, do that – moving from clinic to clinic, getting the same treatment because the system cannot catch them,” he said.
“Most people, let me be clear, are Zimbabweans who collect ARVs in SA to stockpile before returning home. Instead of taking their one-month share, they collect up to six months’ supply. This is wrong and creates problems in our public health services, as it makes it look like we are running out of drugs.”
Motsoaledi emphasised that such practices distort medicine stock levels and place additional pressure on the country’s already stretched healthcare system.
SA’s public health sector provides millions of citizens and foreign nationals with access to life-saving medication, including free ARVs for people living with HIV. However, the system continues to face challenges ranging from drug shortages to administrative inefficiencies.
Motsoaledi said his department is working to improve co-ordination across health facilities through digital systems that can track patient records nationally. “We need to synchronise our systems so that when a person collects medication at one facility, it is recorded everywhere. That will stop this abuse,” he said.
Motsoaledi urged patients to act responsibly and to adhere to prescription rules, stressing that stockpiling medication not only undermines the health system but could also lead to waste and treatment interruptions for others in need.
–SABC/ChannelAfrica–
