17 July 2002

What is Happening to KZN's Global Fund Money?

The Treatment Action Campaign is very concerned at the turn of events
related to the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria allocation
to Kwazulu-Natal. The Minister of Health's handling of this debacle
is seriously damaging. The Global Fund approved a proposal made by the
University of Natal, the KZN Department of Health, the Durban Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, the National Association of People With AIDS and
various other institutions and NGOs based in KZN. The proposal includes
a range of health interventions related to HIV including prevention
and treatment programmes. KZN has the highest HIV prevalence rate in
South Africa and is one of the worst-hit regions in the world. There
is a desperate need to establish pilot antiretroviral programmes in
the province, as specified in the proposal. It would be a tragedy and a
threat to South Africa's future applications to the Global Fund if this
proposal (approximately R600m over 5 years) had to be scuttled. We wish
the Minister of Health to address the following questions

* Can she confirm that the funds will be spent on prevention AND treatment
programmes, including antiretroviral therapy, as specified in the original
proposal accepted by the Global Fund administrators?

* Can she confirm that the reallocation of funds has been approved by
the Global Fund administrators?

The Minister of Health's position is clearly influenced by an HIV
denialist agenda that is opposed to antiretroviral treatment on
pseudo-scientific grounds.