Earlier she was in Mthatha where she visited a regional training centre set up to manage the treatment of HIV/Aids and the use of anti-retrovirals.

The two clinics, which started administering anti-retrovirals last year, service 175 patients.

The number of patients has more than doubled in the past five months despite operating on limited resources, Madlala-Routledge said.

Only one full-time doctor handles the ARV administration facilities in the rural municipality.

The provincial government has come under pressure from HIV/Aids lobby groups to increase anti-retroviral rollout.

The pressure groups complain that the waiting lists on licensed sites were too long and some of the patients died while still waiting for medical intervention.

Madlala-Routledge said her department was aware of the urgency to speed up treatment and increase the number of centres dispensing ARVs.

"It's important for all of us to consider the urgency of this matter. It is an epidemic that is not only spreading, but also taking young lives."

She said the success of the Mhlontlo ARV facilities could be attributed partly to the fact that patients who had been stabilised on ARVs were referred to primary health care institutions for further treatment.

"We are dealing with a problem of limited resources," she said.

"We are looking at how they are doing and seeing how we can take the lessons (we have learnt from the two sites) to other provinces and regions which are struggling."

The deputy minister, who also spoke to patients and sisters at the clinics, said she had found there was a strong network of support between staff and patients which ensured patients consistently took their medication.

"The people across the board say the model works. Some were saying they were sick but now they are able to get out of bed and they looked well.

"They said they want to go out and support others and want to get on with normal life.

"The sisters say the programme works. They have had to change their mindset. They realise the epidemic can be managed as a chronic disease."

Professor Pierre Barker said his organisation wanted to find "local solutions" to increase the number of people benefitting from ARVs.

The deputy minister added that people had also complained about such other problems as lack of electricity and running water.

The municipality would look into such issues, she said. - DDC