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We must stand together in anti-AIDS war
Dr Nono Simelela. Open letter pubished in The Sowetan of 3rd September 2003.
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Open letter to Lucky Mazibuko, columnist for The Sowetan newspaper, from Dr Nono Simelela, Head of the National AIDS Directorate, Pretoria
Dear Lucky:
I have read your recent comments on government's commitment to the war against HIV and AIDS, including the work of the South African National Council (SANAC)with interest. I saw these comments, not because the recent columns have been particularly punted by The Sowetan for their somewhat controversial nature, but because I have been a keen follower of your column.
In my view, no other column has been as incisive, as empathetic, as honest and as reflective of the lives of people living with HIV. Your dispassionate but truly moving accounts of the battle that you have so bravely fought to bring awareness, changes in lifestyle and changes in attitudes is impressive.
One of your most moving messages has been to emphasise that everyone has a role to play, however small. More critically, you have consistently explained that this fight is a multi-faceted one, which requires focus from the level of prevention to that of treatnent for those who are at the advanced stage of AIDS. One all these issues, government fully agrees with you.
Government's programme has been expanding all the time, and it is set to expand still further as a result of the allocation of resources that will see dedicated funding for HIV/AIDS increase more than tenfold, from R342 million in 2001-2 to R3,6 billion in 2005-6.
On anti-retrovirals, government set out more urgently in April last year to deal with the many constraints preventing their use in the public sector. These constraints are not "inconsequential, ever-changing excuses" as you unfortunately assert. Nor is government "hell-bent on playing a game of Russian Roulette" with the lives of South Africans.
We have to ensure that the decisions government takes are not just for short-term popularity, but result in sustainable programmes. There have been positive developments in dealing with the constraints, including:
- Rapid reduction in prices arising from new opportunities to manufacture some of these drugs in South Africa;
- Wider appreciation of the role of nutrition, so that people affected do not rely only on drugs. This knowledge is being shared among local scientists and health workers;
- Availability of more resources in the budget for the programme.
It is in this context that government recently asked the Health Department to finalise an implementation plan urgently. The task team on the plan, drawn from government, South African experts and people living with AIDS, and helped by the US-based Clinton Foundation, aims to complete its work by the end of September.
And so, why now, Lucky, should we start mutual recriminations? In a recent column, you were also critical of SANAC, a body meant to formalise the national partnership, of which you are a member. Most members of SANAC would agree with you that the Council does have its weaknesses. This is why it decided last year to improve its operations and broaden non-governmental sector representation. The SANAC Secretariat is being strengthened so that it can give the Council the support it needs, including its role as the Country Co-ordinating Mechanism in relation to the Global AIDS Fund. The 13 members of Cabinet who are SANAC members may not all attend every meeting, but the record will show constant participation by most Ministers and by Deputy-President Jacob Zuma as Chairman.
The same applies to all the sectors represented in SANAC. We should also remember that political commitment goes well beyond attendance at meetings and speaking at events - it also is a matter of empowering departments and officials, across government, with the resources to work constantly at intensifying the response to HIV and AIDS.
Do Lucky and SANAC have a role to play as we develop the implementation plan? The task team dealing with this matter is travelling to all provinces to interact with provincial health practitioners and examine the state of health institutions. Besides the fact that the task team specifically includes a person living with HIV, the doors of the Health Department and the task team are open for any insights that Lucky and others may have. My appeal is that, as you often say yourself, we should encourage positive energy and mobilise to build rather than to destroy. This is not the time for despair.
And those whose engagement has brought privileged access to information also have a responsibility to educate the public about the complexities of the challenges. I apologise for raising this in public with you, but we needed to put the record straight. As soon as I am back in my office I would like to invite you for a discussion so that we can sit down and sort things out.
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