Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
South African Press Association - September 13, 2004
Ben Maclennan, Cape Town
The application is to be heard in the Pretoria High Court on November 2, Aids Law Project attorney Fatima Hassan said on Monday. Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has already filed notice of her intention to oppose it.
Hassan said the document, the so-called "annexure A", was supposed to have been attached to the department's operational plan for its national ARV rollout released in November last year.
It contained "vital" information about patient targets and timetables, and when government planned to achieve particular objectives in particular provinces.
This information was important for people with HIV/Aids, she said. Previously, TAC went to court to force the department to expand an ARV campaign to prevent mother to child transmission at birth.
It was also announced on Monday that the Open Democracy Advice Centre is in the process of sending off requests by the freedom of information act to provincial health departments for their treatment and business plans.
Hassan was speaking at the release of a report on the launch in Limpopo earlier this month of a civil society forum to monitor and evaluate the ARV rollout.
The report said that while some provinces -- notably Gauteng and the Western Cape -- were doing well, there appeared to be major blockages in others.
"It was reported that at one treatment site in KwaZulu-Natal, waiting lists are running into August 2005," the report said.
Hassan explained that though the province had 20 sites accredited to administer ARV treatment, they were overburdened and understaffed, and there were currently only 535 patients on treatment in the whole province.
People who were screened for the programmes were told to come back in a year for their drugs, and there were also waiting lists for screening itself.
At some facilities in Gauteng there was also a four to five month waiting list for screening.
"That calls on civil society organisations such as ours to ask the right questions," she said.
She said some 8 000 people were currently receiving treatment, way off the department's target of 53 000 by March next year.
Nhlanhla Ndlovu, of Idasa's Aids budget unit, said it was a major concern that the provinces' spending of Aids money in their conditional grants from central government was substantially lower in the first quarter of this year than the first quarters of 2002 and 2003.
Last year the provinces spent 15% of their allocation in the first quarter, compared with 6,5% this year.
TAC spokesperson Nathan Geffen said the rollout was best in provinces such as the Western Cape and Gauteng where officials were willing to share information and work together with civil society.
The fact that 8 000 people were on treatment meant 8 000 lives were being saved.
"It's not all negative. There is progress being made. It's just not fast enough," he said.
040913
SA040902
Copyright © 2004 - South African Press Association. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the South African Press Association, Cotswold House, Greenacres Office Park, Cnr. Victory & Rustenburg Roads, VICTORY PARK, PO BOX 7766, JOHANNESBURG, 2000; Fax No: +27 11 782-1587/8, Tel No: +27 11 782-1600.
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, National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2004. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
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, 2004. 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. .