Health workers will continue to get anti-retroviral drugs for needlestick injuries, despite a decision by the ANC’€™s National Executive Committee (NEC) that this practice should stop.

“Our guidelines on needlestick injuries remain intact. There is no change,” said Health department spokesperson Jo-Anne Collinge.

Collinge said that if the ANC NEC wanted to change national health policy, it would have to take up the matter through the “political office bearers” in health, namely the minister or provinicial health MECs. These office bearers would then have to debate the issue at MinMEC.

Recently, the ANC NEC said anti-retrovirals to prevent HIV infection following needlestick injuries or sexual assault “could not be provided in public health institutions” as their efficacy was “unproven”.

Trade unions that organise health workers have already indicated that they will not tolerate a reversal on the matter.

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’€™ Union’€™s Moloantoa Molaba said the availability of anti-retroviral drugs as a precaution for health workers who had needle pricks was “non-negotiable”.

“At the heart of the matter is the health and safety of nurses and other health workers,” said Molaba. “While it is a matter of individual choice if the health worker wants to take the drugs, for us it is a fundamental that these drugs are available on demand. And this is not yet so in many of the clinics.”

SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) spokesperson Anna Weekes said her union had negotiated for municipal workers who get needlestick injuries to get anti-retrovirals about three years ago.

“This is a collective bargaining agreement between the union and the municipalities and has nothing to do with the ANC NEC,” said Weekes. “The ANC seems to consider anti-retrovirals for needlestick injuries to be a benefit or a luxury for workers, but Samwu will certainly not entertain any political pressure being put on ANC municipalities to remove this basic safety measure.”