National

Problems with Aids drugs plan revealed

Minister briefs parliament on the rollout of anti-retrovirals programme

May 28, 2004 Edition 1

Jo-Anne Smetherham

For the first time, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has given details about the country's ambitious anti-retroviral programme.

Departing from her previous obfuscation over Aids treatment, she revealed yesterday that the number of people

taking anti-retrovirals was far higher than previously

reported.

She singled out drastic staff shortages and difficulties in acquiring generic drugs as two major problems holding up the process.

Tshabalala-Msimang was speaking at a press briefing at parliament following debate on President Thabo Mbeki's state of the nation address.

In the Western Cape about 2 500 people were taking anti-retrovirals at public hospitals or clinics, she said. In Gauteng the figure was 940 and in KwaZulu Natal 153. The other six provinces were providing the drugs to very few people, if any.

However, all the provinces were enrolling patients. This involved giving them HIV/Aids tests, counselling and education about anti-retrovirals.

The Aids drugs programmes needed a reliable system for patient records, and good laboratory services and drug supplies to be put in place first, Tshabalala-Msimang added.

"Provincial departments have taken a cautious approach to initiating treatment, knowing that it is dangerous to interrupt it," she said. The tender process for the drug supplies was "complex and lengthy".

Nono Simelela, head of the government's HIV/Aids programmes, said the implementation of the anti-retroviral project was "bringing the problems in our health system to the fore".

Giving examples of widespread staff shortages, she said Gauteng had recently advertised 280 posts but had filled only 100. Mpumalanga had not been able to fill a single empty post.

She said that in the Free State, 270 people were waiting for drugs but could not be given them because the Nevirapine supply was likely to run out. The Eastern Cape had ordered some of the drugs, but they had not arrived.

Humphrey Zokufa, the director of pharmacy services, said that by March only one drug in the triple cocktail had been registered.