Some 70 000 South African children live with HIV/Aids and need antiretroviral treatment, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said.
He was visiting the Pelonomi regional hospital in Bloemfontein for discussions with local health officials.
Motsoaledi said his visit's focus was to establish whether government health programmes, such as the ARV programme, were implemented at ground level.
"Is it happening on the ground? Do the managers know what must happen and do they work?"
Motsoaledi said HIV/Aids is South Africa's single biggest health problem.
The Free State has the third largest number of people living with HIV/Aids after KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga.
The minister said South Africa has R4.2bn for its programme.
Children born with HIV/Aids immediately go onto a treatment programme.
(SAPA, March 2011)
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