Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Mail & Guardian (Johannesburg) - November 16, 2001
Belinda Beresford
The University of the Witwatersrand revealed this week that the level of medical admissions to Helen Joseph hospital due to full-blown Aids with opportunistic infections has soared to 42%, up from 28% at the end of last year. Admissions have risen by 176% over the last five years, with Helen Joseph now admitting 37 patients a day.
At Johannesburg General and Chris Hani Baragwanath the situation is even worse. In August the two institutions admitted 55 and more than 100 patients respectively. The university estimates that the number of Aids cases will double over the next five years and "will completely swamp our hospitals", said Professor Pat MacPhail.
A growing sense of hopelessness and strains on resources are causing "dire" patient care, said Professor Ken Huddle from Baragwanath. He revealed that a decade ago 6% of admitted adult patients died, but that HIV/Aids has now driven that figure up to 15%. Among patients aged 25 to 44, 70% are dying of HIV related illnesses.
In a statement the faculty of health sciences at Wits called for an end to "deepening divisions between the top levels of the government and the rest of the country" on HIV/Aids, and called for the debate on the use of anti-retrovirals to be one of resources and implementation rather than toxicity.
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