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Compiled by the Government Communication and Information System --------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 27 May 2004 Title: Minister satisfied with HIV and AIDS plan --------------------------------------------------------------- By Karen Pretorius (021) 461 8145 Cape Town - Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has expressed satisfaction with the pace the Comprehensive Plan for Care, Management and Treatment of HIV and AIDS is being implemented in the country. The minister earlier today addressed a Parliamentary Briefing as Chairperson of the Social Cluster III under the theme 'Health for All'. She said all provinces had made progress in provision of the antiretroviral Therapy (ART) option to patients who met the medical criteria. "However, the pace has differed from area to area - in accordance with the amount of groundwork that had to be done to meet the national standards set for designated service points." Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal and the Western Cape are leading the pack with several numbers of patients on treatment. In Gauteng about 940 patients are receiving antiretrovirals (ARVs) while in the Western Cape about 2 500 patients are receiving the drugs, including patients who were previously treated under other programmes. In KwaZulu-Natal, 153 patients, plus those being treated on established programmes funded from sources outside the public health sector, are receiving the drugs. While the other provinces had not yet begun providing the anti-AIDS treatment, they were "actively" enrolling patients. "This means conducting tests, counseling and educating patients in preparation for ART, a process that takes several weeks," the minister explained. Minister Tshabalala-Msimang said on 11 April, 800 CD4 tests were done. Of all the patients tested, 6 700 had CD4 counts under 200, a determining factor for antiretroviral therapy. In terms of drug supply, she said the tender process for ARVs was quite complex and lengthy; this is why interim arrangements were made for provinces to purchase initial supplies of the drugs. "As a result, provincial health departments have taken a cautious approach to initiating treatment, knowing that it is dangerous to interrupt it," she explained. To step up the process, the tender process for long-term ARV supply was well underway, with ten short-listed companies expected to make presentations soon. Companies will be selected from this group to make a final bid for the contracts. "Clearly several suppliers will be awarded contracts - because of the range of drugs involved in the treatment and because of the need to ensure large, uninterrupted supplies." It also is expected that the number of generic suppliers will increase in the near future, as the Medicines Control Council (MCC) concludes the medicines' registration process later this week and as more manufacturers secure voluntary licences. -BuaNews |
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