Clinic employees arrested for selling ARVs
The Hawks' crime intelligence and flying squad arrested the men in Joubert Park after an intensive investigation which uncovered the syndicate. The men had sold the medication to undercover officers, after authorities were tipped off by members of the public.
Hawks spokesperson Paul Ramoloka said, “Patients were told that there were no more antiretroviral drugs at the Esselen Street Clinic. Then they would later be called by the clinic’s staff who offered to sell them the drugs.”
He added the clinic’s staff would sell the drugs, which should be free, for between R80 and R100 a box.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi condemned the conduct of the clinic’s staff. “Antiretrovirals are life-saving drugs and if they are not given to an HIV-positive patient they lead to a reduced level of compliance that leads to resistance,” he said in a statement.
Motsoaledi encouraged HIV-positive patients not to be tricked into paying for any antiretroviral drugs. “We call upon members of the public to be extra vigilant and report anybody who sells these drugs.”
The DA’s provincial leader John Moodey commended the “valiant efforts of police in a sting operation that caught officials who sold free medicine to desperate patients”, adding that these officials “abused their position and exploited the desperation of HIV/Aids patients”.
The Hawks believe the clinic’s employees were part of a bigger syndicate and their ongoing investigations would yield more arrests. The men have appeared in the Hillbrow Magistrate’s Court and were released on bail. They face charges of theft and illegal possession of prescription medication.
