“Making that journey every three months begins to mess with my routine — it also makes me more stressed and anxious”
The department says it wants more than a million people to start or get back onto treatment by the end of 2025. But the truth is that treatment for all is impossible without making it easier for people to collect HIV treatment. This is why TAC is taking to the streets on World AIDS Day, to demand that the health department gives all stable people living with HIV a 6 month supply. For people like Asa* from KwaZulu-Natal, getting a 6 month supply of ARVs would be a “game-changer”. It would make it easier to manage your treatment and reduce the stress that comes with having to frequently go to the clinic just to collect your pills.
When 25-year-old Asa was diagnosed with HIV three years ago, it was an earth-shattering event for her, she admits.
“In those early days it was hard, I won’t lie. Especially on the days I felt fine, I didn’t want to believe that I was sick. But over time you come to accept the diagnosis and then you know you have to find a way to carry on. I also learnt a lot about HIV and that helped me because you realise that HIV is not a death sentence, but something I will have to manage with medication for the rest of my life,” she says.
Asa is currently stable on her treatment, with no side effects and no complications. As a result, she’s now getting a 3 month supply of ARVs at Mpola Clinic in Dassenhoek. But because of frequent stockouts at the clinic she has to travel to Durban to collect medication at an external pick-up point. A round-trip journey sets her back R120 each time.
“Making that journey every three months begins to mess with my routine and I have to find the money each time, whether I have it or not. It also makes me more stressed and anxious about whether or not I will be able to manage my treatment,” she says.
For her, a 6 month supply of ARVs would be a game changer, as it would make it easier for her to take control of her treatment, and to save money and time. She says people who are stable also know that if they need help, saying they would go to the clinic even if it is not on their scheduled appointment date.
“It would change so much for me, and I think for others too, especially young people who are on ARVs. If you have your ARVs with you, you are not stressing about the supply of the medication. Then you will just treat the medication like drinking water – you take it every day to stay alive,” Asa says.
* Name changed to protect identity
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