[Ip-health] Financial Times: DA extends drug debate in S.A.

[Mike Palmedo]

http://hoovnews.hoovers.com/fp.asp?layout=displaynews&doc_id=NR20020419670.2_79e50005ef689696

DA extends drug debate

April 19, 2002 7:10pm

Sandy Kalyan
04/19/2002
 
Dear Sir, 

THE debate over nevirapine for HIV-positive pregnant women is over. The
Democratic Alliance (DA) would now like to open up a debate about how to
take antiretroviral treatment further, by supplying the drugs to people
who are already infected. 

Government argues that the drugs are too costly and the health
infrastructure is inadequate. The DA disagrees. There are ways to cut
costs, and there are ways to solve the problems of distributing the
drugs. Only President Thabo Mbeki's bizarre support for AIDS dissidents
is stopping us from doing so. 

The DA believes that 10% of the HIV-positive population — about half of
those who have symptoms of AIDS — could be included in a national
antiretroviral treatment programme, without stretching the budget or
raising taxes. 

We propose a five-year programme, beginning with a pilot project
targeting 20000 patients. We calculate that the cost of drugs,
monitoring of patients and providing counsellors, would average R800 a
patient a month for the first year, falling to R200 a month as we make
more use of generics and introduce low-technology monitoring techniques. 

Funds will come from a variety of sources. Besides international donor
funds, the canceling of the third tranche of the arms deal would save SA
R8bn. We would also redirect parts of the existing AIDS budget, which
was substantially increased last year. Finally, we believe that patients
who can make some contribution to their treatment should do so. 

Some creative ways will have to be found to distribute and administer
the drugs. The DA has developed a core of proposals which will address
this. 

A central antiretroviral treatment centre will develop protocols and
guidelines and monitor the programme. The DA will also look at bringing
in traditional healers, and at linking up the antiretroviral programme
with tuberculosis treatment. 

SA must move beyond debilitating discussions on the cause of the disease
and access to treatment, and concentrate on developing tools and
strategies that will work. 

MP Democratic Alliance Spokesperson on Social Development