The Department of Health has moved to reassure the public that South Africa is not facing a shortage of antiretroviral ARV medicines, despite reports that two suppliers awarded contracts under the current ARV tender have entered business rescue.
In a statement issued this Friday, the department said it had noted media reports about the affected suppliers but stressed that measures were already in place to prevent any disruption to the supply of life-saving HIV treatment.
"The phenomenon of a company that has received a tender from the state going into business rescue or experiencing financial hardship is not new," the department said, adding that it had planned for such eventualities by awarding the ARV tender to multiple suppliers as a risk-mitigation strategy.
