The government maintained on Wednesday antiretrovirals should not be used in what was termed ”a populist manner” to treat people with HIV/Aids.
”We have a responsibility to guide those who implement an antiretroviral therapy programme to ensure that it is done properly and not in a populist manner,” Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said at Midrand.
She told a mining summit on HIV/Aids the government was not opposed to anyone using antiretrovirals. Some basic conditions should, however, be met before such treatment could begin.
These included sustainable funding to ensure that those starting the therapy could be kept on the programme for life.
Another was the necessary infrastructure for training and monitoring, making sure that those taking the drugs did so for the rest of their lives.
Mechanisms were also required to prevent the misuse of antiretrovirals.
”You can understand why I differ from those who argue that providing antiretrovirals is as easy as giving an aspirin to a patient,” Tshabalala-Msimang said.
Last week has seen demonstrations in several major cities, demanding a state treatment programme to provide such drugs to people living with HIV/Aids.
Organiser of the protests, the Treatment Action Campaign, has also laid culpable homicide charges against Tshabalala-Msimang and her trade and industry counterpart Alec Erwin.
It claims the pair are responsible for the 600 deaths a day of HIV-positive people a day in South Africa who have no access to antiretroviral drugs.
Tshabalala-Msimang emphasised that proper nutrition should be starting point to boost the immune systems of those infected with HIV.
”Some in the media do not like this message. They would rather hear the message of more drugs for those who are infected with Aids,” the minister said.
”Yes, of course medicines will help boost the immune system, but first things first.”
Tshabalala-Msimang rejected the notion that the public health system was not treating people with HIV/Aids.
All opportunistic infections from HIV/Aids, such as tuberculosis and pneumonia, were being attended to in public hospitals and clinics.
”A false impression is often created that government does not provide treatment for HIV-infected people simply because we are not providing antiretroviral drugs.”
The minister said the government preferred to separate HIV from Aids because they were not the same thing.
”Yes, there is a causal link between HIV and Aids, but everybody who tests positive is not necessarily dying of Aids. Testing HIV positive is not a death sentence,” she said.
”There is nothing ideological about this message.”
Tshabalala-Msimang expressed support for the mining industry providing anti-retroviral therapy, but said standards should not be compromised.
There were several problems relating to sustainable treatment that had to be sorted out, she said. – Sapa