‘Not a Single Patient Affected’: Motsoaledi Assures Parliament on ARV Supply Despite Supplier Rescue

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has moved to calm fears over the supply of antiretroviral (ARV) medicines following the placement of three key suppliers under business rescue, assuring Parliament that no patient has been affected.

Appearing before the Health Portfolio Committee on Wednesday, Motsoaledi detailed the contingency measures activated after Avacare Health subsidiaries, Barrs Pharmaceuticals Industries, and Innovata Pharmaceuticals were placed under business rescue in December 2025.

“Not a single patient in the country has been affected by the business rescue of these companies,” Motsoaledi told the committee. “It was planned right from the beginning that nobody ought to be affected by any risk because it would be dangerous.”

Three Months’ Stock in Hand

The minister explained that provinces currently hold sufficient stocks of the affected ARV medicines to cover approximately three months of expected demand. This buffer, he said, was the result of careful planning and real-time monitoring.

“We can confirm to you that nobody is affected because if one company is unable to supply, we just go to the next company. All patients continue to receive their ARVs and other medication; there has never been any disruption whatsoever.”

The department has an accurate electronic system for clinics and hospitals to monitor stock levels across the public health system. Following confirmation of the supplier constraints, contingency measures were activated immediately.

“Because of these systems, the department activated contingency measures by engaging other suppliers to increase production so that they supply the volumes we need,” Motsoaledi said.

Multiple Suppliers, Multiple Safeguards

The minister emphasised that the ARV tender was intentionally awarded to multiple suppliers as a risk-mitigation measure. Fifteen companies were awarded the tender, with specified volumes allocated to each.

“By diversifying supply sources, the department can respond swiftly to supplier-specific challenges by adjusting orders among contracted suppliers, thereby minimising the risk of stock-outs,” he explained.

The strategy, he said, strengthens system resilience, ensures sustained product availability, and supports the integrity and reliability of the public health supply chain.

“If you fail, the department does not negotiate. We go to the next person to minimise stock-outs because it would be dangerous for the country and individuals who need these drugs.”

Parliamentary Response

DA MP Karl le Roux welcomed the assurance: “I am glad that no patient has been impacted due to issues with companies that are going bankrupt.”

Other parliamentarians pressed for clarity on how “no impact” was defined and measured at health facilities beyond stocktake data.

Motsoaledi stood firm: “As far as patients are concerned, they get all ARVs. If they never got them, it would be any other reason we don’t know, not the reason of business rescue problem that has happened. So far, we are comfortable, and that is why we are sure there has not been an impact on patients.”

The Bigger Picture

The business rescue of three major ARV suppliers could have triggered a national health crisis. That it has not is a testament, Motsoaledi argued, to deliberate planning and robust systems.

But the episode also serves as a warning. Pharmaceutical supply chains are vulnerable to multiple risks: manufacturing disruptions, regulatory hurdles, raw material shortages, and logistical constraints. Any of these can affect any supplier at any time.

The department’s strategy of diversification and real-time monitoring has passed its first major test. The question now is whether the remaining suppliers can absorb the increased demandand whether the system can hold if further shocks emerge.

For the millions of South Africans dependent on ARVs, the assurance is welcome. But in public health, as in life, comfort is temporary. Vigilance is permanent.

{Source: IOL}

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