Frustration over delay in drug roll-out

Frustration is mounting among activists over the Namibian government's delay in providing anti-AIDS drugs to its HIV-positive citizens. The government announced in April this year that it had budgeted US $10.9 million for the purchase of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for HIV-positive people. But while the health ministry has on numerous occasions indicated their intention to provide treatment, this had not been translated into action, activists told PlusNews. More than 22 percent of Namibians are estimated to be HIV positive, but currently only HIV-positive pregnant women are receiving treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the disease. "The Minister [of Health] makes these announcements [about the provision of treatment] from time to time but we don't see anything happening on the ground. This is frustrating ... because people are dying," AIDS Law Unit project lawyer Delme Cupido told PlusNews. While addressing HIV-positive delegates at a meeting last week in Windhoek, the capital, deputy minister of health Richard Kamwi met with angry calls for the immediate rollout of ARVs, after indicating that they would be available "soon". This, according to Cupido, was a rare experience in the country. "Namibians have a culture of respect towards their ministers. This indicates the level of frustration in the country ... hopefully this will spill over to louder calls from civil society." The roll-out of treatment was, however, a "complicated issue", director of NGO Catholic AIDS Action, Lucy Steinitz, told PlusNews. "Its horrible when people are dying around you, and you know that treatment is within reach," Steinitz said. But, "it was a little known fact that efforts had been made by the government to begin the ARV rollout." According to Steinitz, the government had begun providing treatment in 2 hospitals and were planning to expand the programme to 5 facilities during the year. Treatment guidelines had been released and the training of health care workers was also underway. This had not been communicated to those affected by the pandemic. "The government is moving faster than people think it is, but how do you tell this to a dying person? For that person, it will never be fast enough," Steinitz said. Treatment literacy had been "left out of the picture" during the government's preparations for the ARV rollout, and had contributed to the growing frustration in the country, she added. Cupido called for more NGOs to put pressure on the government to implement the ARV programme. "It is immoral to raise people's expectations and not deliver," he said.