Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia, Inc. - 10 July 1996
Judge Marco Aurelio Paioletti Martins Costa based his ruling on the Brazilian constitution, which obliges the state to guarantee the health of its citizens.
The case could lead to many similar court cases in a country with one of the world's highest incidences of AIDS.
The Sao Paulo Health Department, which has five days to comply with the court order, played down the possible implications of the ruling, however, and would not comment on its ability to pay for the expensive medication.
"Our legal department is studying the court order to decide how we will respond," a Health Department spokeswoman said. "At this point it is too early to worry" about future implications.
The cost of the medication could be as high as 1,200 reais ($1,200) a month, according to the AIDS support and prevention group GAPA, which brought the court case on behalf of school teacher Nair Soares Brito e Brito.
GAPA insists the state has to comply with its constitutional duties even though it claims to have insufficient funds to pay for the medication.
An estimated 500,000 Brazilians are believed to have HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and 76,396 cases of AIDS were reported in Brazil by the end of 1995.
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