How to Get ARVs at a Public Clinic
Antiretroviral treatment (ARVs) is free at every public clinic in South Africa. You can start the same day you test positive. This guide walks through the full process — from arriving at the clinic to collecting your medication every month.
Step 1: Get tested
Walk into any public clinic and ask for an HIV test. Testing is free, confidential, and takes about 20 minutes (rapid finger-prick test). You do not need an appointment. Results are given to you privately — they are never shared with your employer, family, or anyone else without your consent.
If you prefer not to go to your local clinic, any public facility in any province will test you. You can also test at mobile testing points (look for government health tents at taxi ranks and malls) or ask a community health worker in your area.
Step 2: Same-day initiation
If you test positive, a nurse will do a brief clinical assessment: weight, blood pressure, check for TB symptoms, and draw blood for a CD4 count and viral load test. South Africa's policy since September 2017 is same-day ARV initiation — you do not need to wait for blood results to start treatment.
The standard first-line regimen is TLD (tenofovir + lamivudine + dolutegravir) — one pill, once a day. It is highly effective, has few side effects, and achieves viral suppression in most people within 3-6 months.
Step 3: What to bring
- South African ID, passport, or asylum permit — for creating your clinic file. If you have none of these, the clinic should still treat you (see FAQ below).
- Proof of address — not always required, but helps the clinic assign you to the nearest facility for follow-up.
- Any current medication — especially if you are on TB treatment, diabetes medication, or epilepsy drugs. Some medications interact with ARVs and the nurse needs to know.
- Green clinic card — if you already have one from a previous visit. If not, the clinic will create a new patient file.
Step 4: Follow-up visits
For the first 6 months, you will visit the clinic monthly to collect your medication and check in with the nurse. Blood tests happen at month 3 (viral load) and month 6 (viral load + kidney function). Once you are stable — viral load suppressed, no side effects — visits move to every 2-3 months.
After 12 months of suppressed viral load, you can register for CCMDD (Central Chronic Medicine Dispensing and Distribution). This lets you collect your ARVs from a private pharmacy, community hall, or workplace pickup point — no more clinic queues for routine refills.
Step 5: Staying on treatment
ARVs are a lifelong treatment — there is no cure for HIV, but treatment suppresses the virus so effectively that people on ARVs live normal lifespans and cannot transmit HIV sexually (U=U: Undetectable = Untransmittable).
The most important thing is taking your pill at the same time every day. Set a phone alarm. If you travel, take enough medication with you. If you run out, go to the nearest clinic anywhere in the country — they can give you an emergency supply while your file is transferred.
Find a clinic that provides ARVs
2 facilities in our database offer ARV treatment across all 9 provinces.
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