E-drug: Historic announcement from South Africa: AIDS treatment plan
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MSF JOINS WITH ALL PEOPLE AFFECTED BY HIV/AIDS IN SOUTH AFRICA TO
CELEBRATE HISTORIC ANNOUNCEMENT OF A NATIONAL AIDS TREATMENT PLAN
For Immediate Release
Contact: Kevin Phelan in New York at 1 212 655 3763 or 1 917 577 4946 or
Dr. Eric Goemaere at +27 82 332 9712 or Marta Darder at+ 27 82 332
9714 in South Africa
Cape Town, 8 August 2003
The international medical aid organization Doctors Without
Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) today welcomed with enthusiasm
the South African government's announcement that it would roll-out a
national HIV/AIDS treatment plan. In a statement issued today, the
South African Cabinet instructed the Department of Health to develop
a detailed implementation plan by the end of September 2003 that
includes the provision of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy in the public
sector in South Africa.
'This is extremely good news, and we are definitely celebrating today with
all people affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa' said Dr Eric Goemaere,
head of mission for MSF in South Africa. 'This statement clearly
acknowledges the gravity and urgency of the challenge ahead, and
symbolically unblocks a situation of denial that has lasted for too long.
There is no going back. Now the hard work of scaling up finally begins'.
MSF has been working in Khayelitsha, a poor township of 500,000 people
outside of Cape Town, to provide care and treatment for people with
HIV/AIDS since 1999. MSF has witnessed first-hand the daily devastation
caused by the AIDS epidemic in South Africa, the clinical benefits of ARV
treatment, and the hope that the availability of treatment brings to the
community. In April 2000, in collaboration with the provincial government
of the Western Cape, MSF set up three dedicated HIV/AIDS clinics within
Khayelitsha's primary health centers, and in May 2001, began providing ARV
therapy for people with advanced stage of HIV infection.
Today, MSF is treating 500 people, mostly with affordable quality generic
ARVs from Brazilian and Indian manufacturers. This community-based
program, which involves people living with HIV/AIDS at all levels, has long
demonstrated the feasibility of providing ARV treatment in public clinics
in South Africa. On 29 July 2003, MSF announced the launch of an HIV/AIDS
care and treatment program in Lusikisiki, a rural area located in the
former Transkei with extremely fragile health care infrastructure. The
program, which started in January 2003, is supported by MSF and the Nelson
Mandela Foundation, and will include ARV therapy in addition to other AIDS
services.
MSF highlighted the government's openness to working with experts in the
medical and scientific community to roll-out the national ARV plan,
emphasizing the importance of exchanging information about implementing ARV
treatment.
'We are eager to share our experiences in Khayelitsha and Lusikisiki with
those developing and implementing a treatment plan' continued Dr Goemaere.
'a national ARV plan in South Africa would not only transform South Africa,
it could have a catalytic effect throughout Africa and the rest of the
developing world'.
If fully implemented, a national ARV program in South Africa would be the
largest in the world, as South Africa is home to the largest number of
people with HIV/AIDS; nearly 5 million are currently infected. In order to
stretch financial resources and treat the largest number of people
possible, local production of ARVs will be key, as it has been for Brazil's
national AIDS program. MSF will soon be using the locally produced version
of the drug stavudine (d4T) for its projects in South Africa, and will
continue to support local production and other strategies for ensuring
access to low-cost quality medicines. The locally produced d4T is as much
as 41% less expensive as the price offered by the originator company,
Bristol-Myers Squibb.
'You treat more people with less expensive medicines' said Dr Goemaere.
'It is that that simple'.
Rachel Cohn
MSF Access campaign
Rachel COHEN <Rachel.COHEN@newyork.msf.org>
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