Stellenbosch | Thursday
FORMER president Nelson Mandela reiterated previous criticism of government’s reluctance to roll-out the antiretroviral nevirapine to prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child.
Individuals should be allowed to decide for themselves if they wanted to use Aids drugs, Mandela said at a dinner held at the Spier Wine Estate to mark Shell Oil’s centenary in South Africa.
Last Thursday the government said it accepted a Constitutional Court ruling that it provide the drug to HIV-positive pregnant women at all state hospitals with the capacity to do so.
Currently the government only provides nevirapine at 18 pilot projects.
”Let the people decide for themselves,” he said.
Mandela said he fully supported the government’s research into the use of antiretrovirals but was opposed to its refusal to allow people to decide for themselves on the drugs.
While it was necessary for the government to conduct research, there was a perception that it was insensitive to the needs of the sick.
”While I support you as a government to conduct this research, we must deal with this perception.
”Let us leave the responsibility to each individual who may be suffering from HIV/Aids and warn them that some of these drugs may be toxic,” he said.
If the drug affected them adversely, it was their own responsibility.
”They must decide for themselves whether they want to use these drugs.”
By not providing drugs in state hospitals, the government was effectively prejudicing the poor as the rich could always go to their private doctors or clinics for the drugs, while the poor could only rely on public hospitals where the drugs could be provided free.
”I have expressed that opinion because I believe in it and I am prepared to defend it to the end of my days,” he said. – Sapa