TAC STATEMENT: 12 June 2001
 

MEETING WITH MINISTER OF HEALTH REVEALS SERIOUS DIVISIONS

On 11th June 2001 representatives of the Treatment Action Campaign
(TAC), NEHAWU, COSATU, CEPPAWU and the National Association of People 
Living With HIV/AIDS (NAPWA) met with the
Minister of Health, Dr. Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and senior
officials of the Department. The meeting was to discuss complaints
made by TAC about repeated and unjustifiable postponements of
implementation of the pilot projects to prevent mother-to-child
transmission of HIV.  The Minister insisted that she was only prepared
to brief the meeting about recent developments.

The meeting was painful, difficult and acrimonious. TAC was singled
out for attack by the Minister. During much of the time, the
meeting was harangued by the Minister on a few key themes. We respond
to these below:

* The Minister spoke about the impact of poverty on HIV and
disease, and the need to fight poverty. TAC agrees that poverty is
the major cause for the scale of HIV infection and AIDS.  This
has been known for nearly two decades. But as a consequence
of the government's current economic policies the majority of poor
people are getting poorer. Poverty puts people at risk of HIV
today. It causes people who are poor to die of AIDS without
dignity and without access to health care services today. 
Effective HIV prevention demands urgent, massive and immediate
programmes to combat poverty and promote development
today. It demands, in the words of Minister Skweyiya a Marshall
Plan.  TAC calls for the detail of these programmes and
resources to be announced immediately.  An immediate poverty
alleviation measure would be to extend child support grants to
children until they reach the age of eighteen and to increase the
grant to R200.00 per child.  TAC calls for massive investment in
social services by government to create jobs and to alleviate
poverty. 

* The Minister attacked AIDS activists for singling out the needs
of people with HIV, and ignoring the broader need for
improvement to the health service  and control of other diseases.
Such a view of TAC is fictional. Since its inception TAC has
argued for a quality health-care system for all.   People cannot
be treated in the public health system if this system is
collapsing.  TAC is campaigning for a National HIV/AIDS Treatment
Plan. The adoption of such a plan by the government
would respond to the needs of people with HIV by a massive
investment in health-care that will benefit all people. The current
lack of policy  and implementation of policy -- is leading to
sick people with AIDS overwhelming hospital services with
illnesses that can be treated and prevented. HIV/AIDS is feeding
new epidemics of malaria, TB and cholera.  If South Africa
does not adopt an appropriate treatment plan for HIV/AIDS,
everyone will suffer.  If the government implements a treatment
plan for HIV/AIDS  everyone regardless of HIV status will benefit
from an improved health-care system.

* The Minister once again declared that she is opposed to the use
of anti-retrovirals in the public health sector.  She said
UNAIDS Director, Peter Piot, and the manufacturers of these
medicines, all now apparently share the belief that ARVs are too
complicated to use, too toxic and have too severe side effects
for use in Africa.  TAC repeats: anti-retrovirals improve and
prolong life.  There are serious side-effects for a minority of
people who use the drugs. But, this is true of all medicines. HIV
drug resistance is a reality but without treatment according to
government studies, at least 3.3 million people will die in the next
8 years.  And, there are newer drugs that will become available.
TAC rejects the racist view that poor black people do not
understand how to use medicines.  We also believe that commitment
by government and real investment in the health care
system will overcome the obstacles of infrastructure and lack of
human resources.  

* In particular, we call for immediate commencement of the pilot
programmes to prevent mother to child HIV transmission. The
policy of the Ministry, not to make Nevirapine available outside
of the research sites denies parents the right to act in the
best interests of their children and leads to avoidable HIV
infections. In the absence of a policy that offers the prospect of
progressive access to these medicines (and, as they become
available, newer medicines that prevent AIDS) it is unclear what
the Minister is saying to people with HIV and AIDS. We call on
all doctors, nurses and health-care workers in South Africa who
support TAC demands to contact us (see below for contact details). 

* The meeting concluded with an agreement to set up small task teams to
look at key issues: mother-to-child transmission; a national
treatment plan; voluntary and compulsory licensing. TAC believes that
our differences with the Minister are profound. However, we
remain committed to working with the Ministry and the Department, and
to campaigning for an urgent, detailed and comprehensive
response to an epidemic that is overwhelming South Africa.

For further comment contact:  Zamo Zwane or Zackie Achmat

Numbers:
021 788 5058 (from June 16)
083 467 1152
031 304 3673
082 693 8826

Email: info@tac.org.za