Aids group warns ANC of shock stats
April 23, 2004 Edition 1
Di Caelers
Aids activist group the Treatment Action Campaign has warned the ANC that the party shouldn't see its increased majority as "justification for the unnecessary confusion and confrontation" over HIV/Aids in the past four years.
The group - which also congratulated the ANC - urged the party to form an all-party group on HIV/Aids to ensure that legislation, regulation and constituency needs were addressed by all legislators.
In spite of the fact that most TAC members had voted for the ANC, they warned that the new government, along with all other political parties, the private sector, labour and civil society should take heed of the crisis that was quietly unfolding.
The TAC referred to two recent scientific reports:
l In April the SA Medical Journal published a report based on registered deaths between 1998 and 2003, from Department of Home Affairs registers, which showed the total number of adult deaths for the period had increased by 68%. After taking into account population growth and improved registration, the increase in premature deaths was at least 40%.
Among the 10%, 77% were women.
These facts, the TAC said, called for leadership and community mobilisation at every level, massive health and treatment literacy campaigns, as well as openness about HIV/Aids to reduce stigma and discrimination.
"There has been progress in many areas of life over the past 10 years but for millions of poor people the quality of public health care has worsened," they said.
They called for the Cabinet and for parliament to pay special attention to transforming and improving the national health ministry, and provincial health departments.
HIV/Aids would be one of the great tests of delivery for the ANC government during its next term the TAC said.
