The ongoing civil service strike is keeping AIDS patients from getting their medication. Patients arrive to find hospitals closed or barricaded and where clinics are open, the doctors have to negotiate with strikers to get medication to their patients.

Dr. Ashraf Coovadia, from a HIV and AIDS clinic at a Johannesburg hospital, told the Associated Press that while he usually sees 60 to 80 patients a day, his patient visits have dropped to between 20 and 30 since the strike began three weeks ago.

The health workers’ strike has left many patients without healthcare services, often in cases of emergency. In the short term, patients who miss a few days of medication can develop drug resistance which makes future treatment difficult. This is a concern for both AIDS patients and their doctors. In South Africa, there are more than 5 million people infected with HIV.

The spokesman for a union that represents health workers, Sizwe Pamla, told the Associated Press that they planned for skeleton staff before the strike, but the relationship with government deteriorated to such an extent that it was difficult to keep his members from joining in the strike.

Doctors supply their AIDS patients with a three-month supply of medication. Some of these patients travel to the clinics from rural areas, after saving up their money for the trip. During the strike, their efforts are in vain – they reach closed, dark hospitals.

Unions have rejected the last offer the government made, saying that they insist on an 8.6% increase and R1 000 housing allowance. Both sides appear to be deadlocked without a move from government to propose a new offer. Authorities state that even their latest offer of 7.5% increase plus R800 housing allowance was unaffordable.

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