18 April 2002
"Government calls on all South Africans to join hands in a campaign of hope: to mobilise our strength as a nation and as individuals to ensure that we are able to manage, reduce and, in the long-run, defeat this epidemic. We have it in our power to achieve this objective. What is critical is that we should work together as a united force to achieve the best interests of our society." Statement by the South African Cabinet, 17 April 2002
The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) warmly welcomes the Statement of Cabinet on HIV/AIDS (17 April 2002). It has given us hope after months of despair. The Cabinet has agreed to make antiretrovirals available to rape survivors, rollout a mother-to-child transmission prevention programme, step up prevention efforts, improve the treatment of opportunistic infections, work to lower the cost of antiretroviral medicines, improve the working conditions of health-care employees, intensify poverty relief measures for families affected by the epidemic and access resources in the Global Trust Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria. Furthermore, the Cabinet recognises that antiretrovirals can improve the conditions of people with HIV "if administered at certain stages ... in the progression of the condition, in accordance with international standards." It has acknowledged that Government should not be a protagonist in scientific debate, although it should "facilitate and benefit from [the] results of research."
This appears to be a commitment by Government to fight the HIV epidemic together with civil society organisations and people living with HIV/AIDS incorporating both prevention and treatment strategies. Although, we continue to disagree with some aspects of the statement such as the continued delay on implementing the MTCT prevention programme and government's unnecessary appeal to the Constitutional Court, the TAC now has a basis for moving from a relationship with Government that has been conflictual over the last year to one based on co-operation. But, if the Minister of Health persists with the appeal, TAC will continue to vigorously defend its case because government has in the past made positive statements that it has reneged on. Until a position of full trust is re-established, the Constitution and the protection of the courts and public mobilisation are the only democratic instruments that we can rely on to enforce our rights.
Despite this reservation, the Cabinet statement is cause for optimism because it allows us to rebuild the trust between government and civil society. We can now move past long-settled and time-wasting debates, such as whether HIV causes AIDS and whether antiretrovirals are effective, on to more pertinent matters such as working together to force the pharmaceutical industry to make all essential medicines more accessible and ensuring that the private sector, including medical schemes, insurance companies and large corporations, meet their treatment and prevention duties. We can build a health care system that will take care of all people equitably, especially poor and marginalised communities. By working with civil society, the most difficult struggle, which is to turn policy into reality, can be achieved. The TAC calls on the Cabinet to further demonstrate its commitment to defeating the HIV epidemic by
Although belated, this statement is particularly welcome on the eve of the first anniversary of the defeat of the drug companies in the South African courts. We congratulate the Department of Health for their commitment to prevention, treatment and care efforts based on a human rights and development framework. We are ready to join hands to implement the campaign outlined by Cabinet.
Issued by: Government Communications (GCIS)