Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
South African Press Association (Johannesburg) - April 16, 2002
The document outlines the circumstances in which nevirapine can be prescribed, the required doses, and topics for patient counselling.
"The guidelines should ensure that the quality of counselling is such that each woman can make an informed choice not only about taking nevirapine, but on the best infant feeding option available to her," the Health Department said in a statement.
It pointed out that the provision of nevirapine in accordance with a recent court order would "not be accompanied by the full package of supportive services available at pilot sites".
Health Department spokeswoman Jo-Anne Collinge could not say when all facilities were expected to have received the circular, but provinces would start issuing it "straight away".
The Constitutional Court on April 4 refused the government leave to appeal against a Pretoria High Court execution order requiring it to provide nevirapine at state institutions with the capacity to do so.
The high court order was made pending the outcome of a further Constitutional Court hearing in May of the government's main appeal against a ruling that it put in place a plan to make nevirapine freely available.
Prior to the court orders, the government distributed nevirapine exclusively at 18 pilot sites around the country.
The circular stressed that the court order was designed to cater "for individual cases only".
"That is to cater for what the high court referred to as 'missed opportunities'. Each request shall be dealt with on a case-by-case basis," the statement read.
Once a medical practitioner has determined that a patient should get the drug, the medical superintendent of the institution concerned had to make a written request to the head of the provincial health department to provide nevirapine.
The circular advises what information patients should receive before and after Aids testing, as well as the required dosages for women and their babies.
It also outlines the type of records doctors should keep, and points out the importance of protecting a patient's right to confidentiality.
The statement also said that Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang had appointed a task team to ensure that the expansion of the nevirapine sites met minimum requirements.
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