The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) is calling for people living with HIV to be offered six-month supplies of antiretroviral (ARV) medication as it prepares to mobilise outside three clinics in Mangaung, Johannesburg and Mopani.
The organisation will deploy about 150 members to Mmabana Clinic, Orange Farm Ext 7 Clinic and Mapayeni Clinic between Tuesday and Monday to educate patients about longer ARV refills and encourage eligible patients to request a six-month supply during their clinic visits.
The campaign comes as all health facilities have been able to provide a six-month supply of ARVs to eligible people living with HIV since April 1, 2026.
The TAC said longer refills could reduce the number of times patients need to travel to clinics to collect their medication, with those receiving a six-month supply potentially needing to make only two collection trips a year.
The organisation said this could reduce transport costs, waiting times and the number of working hours lost during clinic visits, particularly for people relying on piece jobs or other forms of informal employment.
It also said six-month dispensing could help ease congestion at clinics and reduce pressure on healthcare workers.
“Getting a 6 month supply of pills would mean only two trips to the clinic each year to collect ARVs,” the TAC said.
The organisation will also use the clinic visits to press health authorities to accelerate the rollout of six-month medication dispensing to all eligible patients.
Facility staff will receive memoranda calling for a commitment to rapidly enrol eligible patients on six-month medication dispensing, while the relevant district departments of health will receive separate memoranda calling for faster progress across their districts.
The TAC said the campaign was necessary because progress in implementing six-month dispensing has been uneven, with some clinics making progress while others have not moved at the same pace.
In May, the National Department of Health committed to enrolling 1.5 million people living with HIV onto six-month ARV supplies by March 2027.
The TAC said achieving the target would require a rapid increase in enrolment, with clinics and health districts needing to ensure that eligible patients are actively offered the option.
The organisation’s campaign will begin on Tuesday at Mmabana Clinic in Phahameng, Ventersburg, from 7am to noon.
It will continue on Thursday at Orange Farm Ext 7 Clinic in Johannesburg, also from 7am to noon, before moving to Mapayeni Clinic in Giyani, Mopani, on Monday, September 21.
The TAC said people living with HIV who have appointments at the targeted facilities on the campaign days will be encouraged to ask for a six-month supply of their medication.
The campaign is aimed at increasing awareness among patients while putting pressure on health facilities and district health authorities to expand access to longer ARV refills.
For the TAC, wider access to six-month dispensing is intended to make it easier for people living with HIV to remain on treatment while reducing pressure on the public healthcare system.
