The Gauteng Health Department says fewer people are coming forward to test for HIV.
It says it is lagging behind it targets on the 90-90-90 target set by the United Nations, of testing 90% of the population, of initiating 90% of HIV positive people on antiretrovirals and ensuring that the 90% of people on ARVs have a suppressed viral load.
Addressing the media at Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in Soweto, Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku says they are also battling to track patients who have just been initiated on HIV treatment.
Masuku says in order to achive the 90-90-90 strategy targets, they have allocated R4.9 billion towards the treatment of HIV/AIDS and TB.
“Our analysis shows us that because Gauteng people are highly mobile, you find that somebody can be initiated in Gauteng but ends up going back home. We are also running slightly short on people that are testing.”
“We would like to call on everybody to just know their status,” adds Masuku.
