The Treatment Action Campaign has leaked the key findings of a long-awaited report, kept under wraps for months, which says 1,7-million lives can be saved by 2010 if Aids drugs are given to everyone needing them, the Cape Times reported on Monday.
This comes after months of frustration among health-care workers and activists, who say they have lost patience with the government’s apparent ambivalence over anti-retroviral drug programmes.
The government announced at the end of last year, after months of negotiation with civil society bodies, that a joint health and finance ministry task team would investigate the costs of providing drugs.
The report was ready several months ago but has still not been submitted to cabinet for approval. The paper said it had a copy of the key findings, which included the following:
- 733 000 lives would be saved by 2010 if half the number of people needing anti-retroviral drugs were given them, and 1,7-million lives would be saved if there was universal coverage;
- 1,8-million more children will be orphaned by 2010 if anti-retrovirals are not provided. This would be reduced by 860 000 if there was 100% anti-retroviral coverage, and by 350 000 if there was 50% coverage;
- the total cost of providing the drugs to all sufferers would be R7,9-billion to R8,3-billion by 2005 and R16,9-billion to R21,4-billion by 2010.
The costs are based on drug regimens that would cost R5 461 per patient annually for the first set of drugs prescribed, and if the cheapest generics available internationally were used. A second set, which is prescribed if drug-resistant strains of HIV develop, would cost R9,115 annually.
The paper said finance minister Trevor Manuel had allocated R3-billion for anti-retroviral programmes, pending a cabinet decision. The leaked information comes from a presentation by Health Department director-general Ayanda Ntsaluba at a meeting with Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and her MECs on May 9.
TAC member Mark Heywood added the information about the numbers of orphans and lives saved. The leak is an attempt by the TAC to place pressure on the government to set up the drug programmes. The activist group has sent the key findings to a host of organisations and politicians, along with a letter requesting they join the TAC in calling for an urgent meeting with the government.
The report showed there are no ”more justifications for delaying treatment,” the TAC letter said. ”Delays in starting this programme will cause preventable deaths, orphans and suffering.” – Sapa