The shutdown of the Clinical HIV Research Unit is being described as a major setback in SA’s battle against one of the country’s deadliest diseases.

Dr Mark Farson, a Gynaecologist and fertility specialist who worked at the now closed facility, says the clinic offered life-saving services to women at risk of developing cervical cancer, especially those living with HIV.

“These aren’t just numbers, these are women who depended on us to detect and treat lesions early, before they turned into cancer,” said Farson. “They will now have to turn to the public health system, where waiting lists are already dangerously long.”

SA faces one of the highest cervical cancer rates in the world. The World Health Organisation ranks the disease as the second most common cancer among African women and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths on the continent. In SA, around 6 000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer annually, and nearly 3 000 die from it.

The clinic’s closure follows cuts to United States government funding, specifically from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which had supported non-governmental health facilities targeting vulnerable groups.

Farson warns the consequences will be immediate and severe.

“Only a few public hospitals offer the kind of specialised services we provided, such as treatment for high-grade lesions using Buscopan. Places like Helen Joseph and Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital will now have to absorb our patients,” he said. “Waiting times, which we had managed to reduce to 2–3 months, will likely increase to nearly a year again. That’s time many of these women simply don’t have.”

At a recent press briefing, Health Minister Dr Joe Phahla acknowledged the strain caused by the funding cuts but maintained that only a limited number of clinics were affected.

“PEPFAR assisted the Department of Health in 27 HIV high-burden districts, out of 52 nationally, across eight provinces. Only 12 clinics were independent from government and run by non-governmental organisations, providing services for key populations,” he said. These populations include sex workers, transgender people, men who have sex with men, and people who inject drugs.

Whether the Johannesburg clinic will secure new funding to resume operations remains uncertain. For now, a crucial safety net for thousands of women has disappeared, with serious implications for early cancer detection and prevention.

“We were preventing cervical cancer. Now, we’re sending those women back into a queue that may not move fast enough,” Farson said.

--ChannelAfrica--