# \[e-drug\] Lancet on Pan-African HIV/AIDS Treatment Access Movement **URL:** \ **Category:** e-drug\ **Created:** [September 1, 2002, 7:49am UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-lancet-on-pan-african-hiv-aids-treatment-access-movement/14865 "2002-09-01T07:49:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rachel\_cohen2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@rachel\_cohen2](https://talk.edrugplus.org/u/rachel_cohen2)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2002, 7:49am UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-lancet-on-pan-african-hiv-aids-treatment-access-movement/14865/1 "2002-09-01T07:49:15Z")
E-drug: Lancet on Pan-African HIV/AIDS Treatment Access Movement ---------------------------------------------   Lancet 31 August 2002       Policy and people       New African movement for HIV/AIDS patients launched at Summit       African governments and multinational drug companies can expect       increased pressure for access to affordable antiretroviral treatment       following the launch of the Pan-African HIV/AIDS Treatment Access       Movement (PHATAM) on the eve of the World Summit on Sustainable       Development (WSSD) on Aug 22.       The movement, kickstarted by 70 African AIDS activists from 21       countries, will campaign for access to affordable HIV/AIDS treatment       as a fundamental part of care for people with HIV/AIDS in Africa.       Milly Katana, PHATAM cofounder and a member of the Board of the Global       Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, said, "we are angry.       Our people are dying. We can no longer accept millions of needless       AIDS deaths simply because we are poor Africans. We know       antiretroviral treatment is feasible in our countries and are       launching a movement to demand treatment that won't take 'no' for an       answer".       Leading AIDS activist and PHATAM cofounder, Zackie Achmat, said the       summit "must recognise that without a healthy population we cannot       have development. Health is a prerequisite for sustainable       development-and access to AIDS treatment in Africa is the key to       improving health".       A key role of the movement is to hold national governments and       international groups involved in providing HIV treatment accountable       for the development and implementation of national HIV/AIDS treatment       plans, he said.       PHATAM has called for African countries to implement the World Trade       Organisation's Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)       agreement, which insists that wealthy nations allow countries with       limited drug manufacturing capacity to purchase low-cost, generic       versions of patented medicines.       "People with HIV/AIDS in Africa are fed up with the international       community's broken promises", said Eric Goemaere, head of mission for       M�decins Sans Fronti�res in South Africa, which is providing treatment       in Khayelitsha, a poor township in the Western Cape.       "They are tired of hearing about pilot projects. The time to scale-up       is long overdue and this will only be possible with political action       at the national and international level. This community-based movement       must provoke the necessary political response."       PHATAM is planning a Global Day of Protests on Oct 9 to demand that       donor countries make contributions proportionate to their wealth to       the Global Fund. This will be followed by a campaign targeting       multinational companies on Oct 17 demanding treatment for all       HIV-positive workers and their families.       Adele Baleta