Johannesburg | Wednesday
THE Department of Health is claiming that it has not yet received court papers from Aids lobby groups, demanding that anti-HIV drugs be provided to all mothers at risk of transmitting HIV to their unborn infants.
But the Treatment Action Campaign says that in fact, the court papers were served on the department on Tuesday morning.
TAC and other Aids lobby groups on Tuesday lodged an application in the Pretoria High Court demanding the immediate administration of drugs that can prevent HIV transmission from mother-to-child.
The groups gave Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and the nine provincial health MECs until September 12 to respond to the application.
But by the close of business on Tuesday the State Attorney was still claiming it had not received any papers relating to the Treatment Action Campaign’s court application.
Department of Health spokeswoman Jo-Anne Collinge said in a statement the ministry would take legal advice and issue a further statement later.
Collinge said that nevirapine the drug at the centre of the dispute was only provided at research sites where “operational challenges relating to the prevention of HIV transmission to babies are being explored”.
She said the intention of the process was to make an informed decision on expanding the Nevirapine programme.
Meanwhile, according to Business Day reports, the department appears to have taken up an offer from Boehringer Ingelheim, the makers of nevirapine, to supply the drug at no cost to 18 trial sites around the country.
Nevirapine was licensed by the Medicines Control Council for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV earlier this year. Boehringer Ingelheim’s original offer was made over a year ago.
The Treatment Action Campaign and 250 public sector paediatricians have warned for some time that they will force the government into treating HIV and Aids sufferers in court, arguing that such treatment is constitutionally guaranteed in South Africa. – SAPA, DM&G reporter
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