CHAI began partnering with South Africa in 2003, at the height of the AIDS crisis. Since then, we have continued to work together to tackle the country’s most pressing health issues, from HIV and tuberculosis (TB) to COVID-19.

Together with the National Department of Health, CHAI facilitated the development and rollout of the country’s HIV program—today the largest in the world. The program increased the number of people living with HIV who were on treatment from about 800,000 in 2008 to more than four million today. With the price reductions on critical HIV medications negotiated by CHAI, South Africa has saved more than US$2 billion on essential health products over the years. The country has also anchored many global pricing deals that CHAI has negotiated since—enabling dozens of other countries to benefit from similar savings on medications. The impact on South Africans’ health has been most profound, with life expectancy rising by 10 years (to 62) since the program began, to which the change is widely attributed.

CHAI has also supported the introduction of better and more affordable TB drugs and diagnostic tests in the country. South Africa proved a leader in this area as well, running the first clinical trials for new best-in-class medications to treat drug-resistant TB—the World Health Organization based its global guidelines on the results of these trials.

More recently, CHAI helped address critical infrastructure needs, such as oxygen supply, during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have also worked closely with the National Department of Health to combat congenital syphilis, which is passed from mother to fetus, by improving access to diagnostic services, treatment, and monitoring. Our efforts included ensuring long-term supply security for syphilis treatment and facilitating the introduction of dual HIV/syphilis rapid diagnostic tests in antenatal care.