Aids deadline postponed
2004-07-05 08:47
Willem Jordaan and Thinus Ferreira
Cape Town - Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has again postponed by nine months government's target date of March next year to provide 53 000 people living with HIV/Aids with anti-retroviral treatment.
From Tshabalala-Msimang's reaction to a parliamentary question from the Democratic Alliance (DA) over whether government was reconsidering the March deadline given the slow progress in rolling out the treatment, it is clear that the health minister and President Thabo Mbeki are now contradicting each other over the target date.
The initial deadline was for March this year, but the health department admitted in February already that the target would not be met. Government then set March next year as the new target date.
However, Tshabalala-Msimang now claims that the target was never March next year, but December 2005.
"The target to treat 53 000 people with anti-retrovirals was set for December 2005 and not March 2005," Tshabalala-Msimang said in reply to the question by Mike Walters from the DA.
"This target was also set out in the president's 2004 state-of-the-nation address and it remains in force."
Her statement contradicts Mbeki's state-of-the-nation address in which he clearly set March as the deadline.
"We have already started with the implementation of the comprehensive treatment plan for HIV/Aids. 113 health facilities will function by March 2005 and 53 000 people will be receiving treatment by then," he said in his address.
Bheki Khumalo, Mbeki's spokesperson, could not explain the contradiction on Sunday and said the presidency would first investigate the facts. Sibani Mngadi, Tshabalala-Msimang's spokesperson, could also not provide an explanation.
Waters slammed government in his statement. "The confusion in the ruling party and the health department over the correct target date shows that government is not serious about the effect of HIV/Aids," he said.
Meanwhile, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), which accused Tshabalala-Msimang of "political obstruction" when it came to light that the initial target would not be met, again sharply criticised the government.
At the People's Health Summit, organised by TAC, the health department was slammed over the slow pace at which government was rolling out anti-retroviral treatment.
"Of government's promises to treat 53 000 people with these medicines by March this year, less than 10 000 people have been treated," Rukia Cornelius, TAC spokesperson, said on the last day of the summit on Sunday.
Send e-mail to wjordaan@dieburger.com