Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - August 10, 2003
Jessica Bezuidenhout, S'thembiso Msomi And Claire Keeton
Mandela - who had criticised the government for delaying providing the drugs - and his Nelson Mandela Foundation were "overjoyed" by the government's announcement, the organisation's chairman, Professor Jakes Gerwel, said yesterday.
The government announced this weekend that it had given Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang until the end of September to develop a detailed operational plan for rolling out antiretroviral drugs.
In a statement after a day-long special Cabinet meeting on Friday, the government said it "shares the impatience of many" about the need to strengthen the fight against Aids.
It said it had roped in the Clinton Foundation Aids Initiative and local experts to help with planning.
Tshabalala-Msimang said she supported the Cabinet decision.
"As minister of health I am part of the Cabinet and therefore this was a collective decision owned by all of us ministers," she said.
Gerwel described the government's directive as great news for the millions of people living with HIV/Aids.
He said the Nelson Mandela Foundation had not campaigned vigorously in recent months for Aids drugs because it had become aware of the government's intention to provide them.
Joining Mandela in celebrations were other outspoken critics of the government's Aids policy, including Constitutional Court Judge Edwin Cameron and activists Gail Johnson and Zackie Achmat.
Cameron, who is HIV-positive, said he was "elated and optimistic" at the announcement, an "irreversi ble commitment by government".
" I think this is going to translate within months into many lives being saved . . . There is a long hard road ahead and at least we've now embarked on it," he said.
Johnson - whose adopted son Nkosi died of Aids - said: "Nkosi would be over the moon. For him it was imperative that people lasted longer and didn't die."
Achmat, of the Treatment Action Campaign, said the announcement represented "hope for the first time in four years".
The Cabinet's decision to adopt the recommendations of the Joint Health and Treasury Task Team - that antiretroviral drugs be made available at public hospitals to those who need them - came after a week of progress in the fight against Aids.
The Cabinet said on Friday it had noted the task team's assertion that the government's primary challenge "is to ensure that the 40 million South Africans who are not infected with HIV stay that way; and that those who are infected but have not as yet progressed to an advanced stage of Aids lead a normal life through proper nutrition".
The report said: "The introduction of antiretroviral therapy would have a significant impact on Aids mortality, reducing considerably the number of deaths from Aids during the next decade."
Providing drugs to everyone who needed them would result in 1.7 million deaths being deferred until after 2010, the report said.
The Democratic Alliance and Inkatha Freedom Party, both vocal critics of the government's Aids policies, said they "cautiously" welcomed the announcement but warned that they would watch the government's actions closely.
"It is unfortunate that it has taken this long to have positive reaction from the government. Their decision has everything to do with elections next year," said the DA's health spokesman, Mike Waters.
But government spokesman Joel Netshitenzhe dismissed the DA's remarks as "nonsensical", saying the decision was a result of "a logical evaluation" of the government's approach.
Additional reporting by Gill Moodie and Penny Sukhraj
030810
ST030803
Copyright © 2003 - The Sunday Times. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Sunday Times Permissions Desk.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Elton John AIDS Foundation UK, the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2003. 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, 2003. 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. .