Patricia De Lille calls on the Government to stick to the provisions of its ARV Roll-Out Programme
2004-02-04. Patricia De Lille, leader of the Independent Democrats, is alarmed that the government is already failing to implement the provisions of its Anti-Retroviral rollout Programme. According to The operational plan for complete HIV and AIDS care, management and treatment plan, R296 million is supposed to have been put aside by national government by the end of March 2004 to implement the plan. Despite this, only R90 million has been allocated. The plan also has the stated goal of providing treatment to 50 000 South Africans by the end of April. Currently, less than 1500 South Africans are receiving the life-saving drugs under the programme.
"What is of even more concern to me is that only one of the nine
provinces has set up sites to dispense the drugs. Some provinces have
not even submitted their plans to national government as to how they
intend implementing the provisions of the programme," De Lille said.
"All of this confirms my suspicion that the government is not truly
committed to rolling out its ARV programme. I call on the government to
prove to the million of HIV sufferers in South Africa that its ARV
rollout programme is not just another election ploy. South Africa is
fast moving from an HIV to an AIDS pandemic. South Africans therefore
desperately need these drugs to live and ID will not allow the
government to shirk from its responsibility."
