Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi says the government cannot fill the funding gap left by US President Donald Trump's decision to terminate USAID-funded programmes.
The move by the Trump administration has halted the supply of life-saving drugs for HIV, malaria and TB, and medical supplies for newborn babies, affecting organisations supported by USAID.
The President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar)-funded HIV/Aids organisations and other health projects funded by the US government were terminated.
Motsoaledi said of 271,606 people employed in HIV/Aids-related work, 254,452 are government-funded, while only 15,000 relied on US-funded programmes. Their primary focus is on patients receiving [antiretroviral (ARV) treatment](https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2025-02-26-health-minister-motsoaledi-urges-men-to-take-the-lead-in-fight-against-hivaids/), as the department cannot cover all aspects of the US funding.
“I don't think we can do everything at the same time,” he said in an interview with [SABC](https://youtu.be/pOGytJKS-28?si=K9HFu_Eu3tLmIm8g).
“Doing everything USAID was doing may not be possible. I am saying this because some of the money was for research investigations and related activities. Our immediate aim is that nobody must run out of ARVs when they need and deserve them.