Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
South African Press Association - August 21, 2006
The ministry said in a statement it was disappointed by the level of ignorance demonstrated by De Lille during a radio interview.
"De Lille claimed that the ministry ... has allegedly failed to meet the target set by the president in the State of the Nation address of putting 53 000 people on anti-retroviral (ARV) therapy.
"If she has ambitions of becoming an important player in the country's political landscape, De Lille should at least try to get the basic facts right before making public statements," the ministry said.
More than 175 000 people had begun ARV therapy at more than 200 public health facilities accredited to provide anti-retroviral drugs across the country.
De Lille should "also learn" that most people living with HIV and Aids did not require ARVs, as these became an option only when their CD4 count dropped to 200 or below.
The department said the government's comprehensive plan for management, care and treatment of HIV and Aids emphasised prevention as the mainstay of the country's response.
The statement said those testing positive were encouraged to adopt healthy lifestyles, which included regular exercise, good nutrition, and avoiding health risks, such as smoking and alcohol abuse.
"People living with HIV and Aids should enquire at their nearest clinics about the variety of services available as part of the comprehensive plan and not be misled by the likes of De Lille.
"While De Lille is failing to provide leadership to her small party at a municipal level in Cape Town, she now wants South Africans to trust [her] views as to who should be the national minister of health," the ministry said.
However, Democratic Alliance spokesperson Gareth Morgan called on President Thabo Mbeki to fire Tshabalala-Msimang.
She had failed in almost every aspect of her job, he said. She presided over "a mess of a public health service" and failed to implement the ARV roll-out adequately, in effect defying the Constitutional Court ruling that ARVs be made accessible to at least 450 000 South Africans living with HIV/Aids.
She had also tarnished South Africa's reputation in the international community by insisting on promoting dissident views on the treatment and management of HIV and Aids.
"The minister's failure to do her job means that the president -- who appointed her --- must now take responsibility for her performance and remove her from office," Morgan said.
The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) -- in its call on Monday for a global day of action on Thursday -- also urged Mbeki to sack Tshabalala-Msimang, and her director general, Thami Mseleku.
The TAC said Tshabalala-Msimang had delayed and undermined prevention programmes on mother-to-child HIV transmission, the government ARV plan, and placed unrealistic conditions on accreditation of ARV treatment sites.
She had also undermined the Medicines Control Council, the Medical Research Council, the courts, and the Health Professions Council.
She had allowed the country to suffer under a higher maternal mortality rate, infant mortality rate, rate of tuberculosis, and death rate than under apartheid.
"Today, under this health ministry and department, the majority of people who die in South Africa die before they reach the age of fifty.
"President Mbeki owes our country a clear duty to dismiss this minister of health," the TAC said.
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