Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
 |
Mail & Guardian Online - November 13, 2009
Xolile Ntutu
One of the patients, Nanaki Mohajane, died in Bloemfontein's National District Hospital in October. Medical reports show medical staff failed to give her life-saving ARV drugs.
Another, Lerato Tsamai, moved to a private clinic when her CD4 count -- a measurement of the strength of a patient's immune system -- plummeted to 25. She said that nurses at the National District Hospital and state clinics in Mangaung refused to give her antiretrovirals.
Activists attribute the refusal to administer ARVs to drug shortages and a lack of trained medical staff.
In the M&G article, Free State health minister Sisi Mabe denied that there was a shortage of ARVs in the province.
However, Motsoaledi told the M&G: "I don't know why she would say that. We've heard, especially from the TAC, about these types of problems in the Free State -- particularly with regard to management of the supply of ARVs."
Mabe also told the M&G that patients with CD4 counts as low as Tsamai's did not receive immediate treatment because it would negatively affect their health and they should first undergo "nutritional therapy".
This outraged doctors and activists, who say ARVs should be administered in such cases within two weeks.
Said Motsoaledi: "The question of whether somebody is reacting [negatively] to ARVs must be left to doctors; it can't be an issue determined by politicians. I even told her [Mabe] that. But she now denies that she made such a statement."
Motsoaledi is meeting the CEOs of all state hospitals next week to discuss the challenges relating to ARV availability.
He has asked the TAC to submit a detailed report of the problems in the Free State to acting HIV/Aids director, Thobile Mbengashe.
Meanwhile, the TAC is planning a protest march to Mabe's office.
See also: Free State health minister: 'No shortage' of antiretrovirals
091113
MG091101
Copyright © 2009 - Daily Mail & Guardian. For information about the content or for permission to redistribute, publish or use for broadcast, contact the publisher.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2008.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2009. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .