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State rolls out new spin on Nevirapine
John Battersby, The Cape Times, April 30, 2002. Reprinted courtesy of Independent Newspapers (Pty) Ltd.
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The government has mounted a campaign to dispel the impression that its appeal against a High Court judgment instructing it to provide Nevirapine to HIV-positive pregnant women indicates a bias against anti-retrovirals.
"Government hopes that the Constitutional Court hearing starting on Thursday will be handled in a spirit of partnership and co-operation and that it will be treated in its proper context as seeking clarification on the issue of division of powers, rather than a debate on access to Nevirapine," said a statement issued after Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.
The Cabinet also announced that a special meeting of the South African National AIDS Council would be held next week to examine what role the council and its partners could play in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The Council, headed by Deputy President Jacob Zuma, represents a wide range of activist groups, non-governmental organisations, civil servants and officials involved in countering the pandemic.
Two weeks ago the government appointed Minister in the Presidency Essop Pahad and Arts, Culture and Technology Minister Ben Ngubane to the Council to bolster the government component and create more synergy with the government's task team on HIV/AIDS.
Government officials have been seized by a sense of relief since the announcement that anti-retrovirals would be used more widely, but some believe that the government appeal - which seeks clarity on the degree to which the courts can dictate detailed government policy - has created an unfortunate impression that it is still clinging to its stance opposing anti-retrovirals.
In the statement, the Cabinet noted the positive response among various role-players to the government's Campaign of Hope on the issue of HIV/AIDS. |
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