MSF discusses Pepfar funding halt and impact on HIV/Aids relief

JOHANNESBURG - The United States' decision to temporarily halt funding to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and all other foreign aid for at least 90 days, has had a devastating impact on NGOs.

READ: Funded Pepfar projects in SA are still safe until April

In a statement, the CEO of Doctors Without Borders, Avril Benoît, appeals to the US to immediately resume funding for the full range of PEPFAR operations, as well as other critical health and humanitarian aid.

Senior HIV/TB advisor at Doctors Without Borders Southern Africa Medical Unit, Antonio Flores discussed this with eNCA.

Flores said, "So, indeed the freeze of the US Pepfar funding has devastating impact on HIV programmes."

"While Doctors Without Borders, MSF doesn't receive funds directly from the US; we see the devastating impacts on the ground because programs and services have been stopped and very little guidance has been given and this has an impact on how people can access even treatment."

"Treatment [patients] that they've been on for many years. So the recency and the abrupt stop of funding has an important and relevant effect on people's lives."

"So far, we haven't been able to estimate numbers and figures but we do estimate that hundreds of thousands and even millions of people may have been affected."