STATEMENT BY THE AIDS CONSORTIUM: 10 MAY 2001


PRESS ALERT:
Placard demonstration to save the Johannesburg Hospitals HIV clinic

The Johannesburg HIV Clinic has stopped taking any new patients living
with HIV. Patients have reported that they are being turned away and
asked to go to Helen Joseph Hospital in Auckland Park. These patients
were not even given basic treatment like Bactrim. 

The AIDS Consortium representing all its members including  Community
AIDS Response [CARE] have organized a placard demonstration on Friday
11 May 2001. Various AIDS Service Organisations, health care workers,
doctors and students will  be gathering at the intersection of Jan
Smuts and Empire Road in Braamfontein at 11h00 to protest against this
situation and to call on the CEO Mr Pillay, the Dean of the Wits
Faculty of Community Health and the Gauteng HIV/AIDS Directorate to
intervene immediately. 

The University of the Witwatersrand has a moral obligation to ensure
that the Johannesburg tertiary care teaching hospital, with its
academic tradition and achievement, reputation, stature and
responsibility provides for the city, a center of excellence for HIV
care. 

A memorandum addressed to the CEO of the Johannesbu g Hospital, the Dr
Max Price the Dean of the Faculty of Community Health, and both the
Gauteng MEC for Health Dr Gwen Ramakgopa and the head of the AIDS
Directorate in Gauteng, Dr Liz Floyd, will be handed over at the
Johannesburg Hospital main enterance by Vusi Nhlapo  the President -
of the National Education and Allied Workers Union of the Congress
[NEHAWU] of South African Trade Unions [COSATU] at 13h30. 

It is a disgrace that there is clearly no priority within the
Johannesburg Hospital or a plan for the HIV clinic and the Consortium
would like to work in partnership with both the University of the
Witwatersrand and the Johannesburg Hospital to ensure quality health
care for all people living with HIV and AIDS.

Contact  for more details

Sharon Ekambaram
083 6348924
011 403 0265
email sharone@global.co.za