A European Union body will donate about R4,2-billion to the South African Medical Research Council (MRC) to help combat HIV/Aids, the council said on Monday.
”This is the initial amount. Out of those [donated] amounts, we will conduct trials and others things,” MRC spokesperson Julian Jacobs said.
He said more details about the funding would be disclosed at a press conference in Cape Town later on Monday, where Cabinet ministers and project leaders would speak.
The African offices of the European Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (ECDTP), the body donating the funds, would be officially opened at that press briefing.
Minister of Science and Technology Mosibudi Mangena, Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, EDCTP leaders and William Pick, the acting president of the MRC, were expected to attend.
Mangena said the EDCTP is a ”strategic response to the call for comprehensive funding” to deal with HIV, Aids and other communicable diseases.
”The need to deal vigorously with these diseases was highlighted at the recent International Aids Conference in Bangkok,” he said in a speech prepared for delivery at the launch.
”There is no doubt that this funding initiative to support the implementation of the EDCTP by the European Commission and member states will provide a significant financial impetus for the fight against poverty and disease.”
Mangena said the ”immense gesture” of the EU and developing countries should be supplemented with other partnerships between governments, especially the pharmaceutical industry and the private sector.
”South Africa will thus maximise synergies between our national programmes such as the South African Aids Vaccine Initiative, funded by our government, and the operations of the EDCTP.
”Such an alignment will ensure the leveraging of optimal returns on our collective investments.” — Sapa