South Africa has less than eight years before the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria phases out its grants entirely and in the upcoming funding cycle, the country will already receive about a quarter less than before: just under 345-million, down from roughly 464-million.
The cuts hit hardest for key populations sex workers, gay and bisexual men, transgender women and people who inject drugs who have a much higher chance of getting HIVand depend heavily on specialised, donor-funded services which the government has been slow to take over.
Preventing one new HIV infection with a daily HIV prevention pill among sex workers costs R10 368 and among gay and bisexual men R19 618 far cheaper than the R22 797R37 304 it costs in the general population, making these programmes among the most cost-effective.
A government-commissioned plan to bring key population services into public clinics was completed in 2023 but has still not been approved leaving the country without a clear way ahead as funding shrinks and experts warn of a measurable rise in infections within five years.
Intodays newsletter,Ida Jooste discusses what the Global Fund phase-out means for HIV programmes in South Africa.Sign up for our newsletter today.
South Africa has less than eight years before one of the most important sources of funding for its HIV and TB programmes falls away.
In allocation letters sent in March to the countries it funds, The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria said its final grant to South Africa will be in the next funding cycle, grant cycle 9, which runs from April 2031 to March 2034.
