Increased HIV/AIDS spending to benefit PWAs

South Africans living with HIV/AIDS have been given new hope they might soon have access to treatment and better care, after the Finance Minister, Trevor Manuel, announced plans to almost double the amount spent on HIV/AIDS. Over the next three years, R3,3 billion (US $400 million) will go towards extending preventative programmes and finance "medically appropriate" treatment for HIV/AIDS. Antiretroviral (ARV) drugs are currently not available to the majority of the country's HIV-positive citizens and activists have accused the government of not doing enough to increase access to the drugs. But, according to documents in the budget, the final decision on whether to provide the drugs can be reached only by a special task team comprising officials from the health and finance departments, which has been set up to look into the feasibility of providing treatment. "Investigations on the introduction of a national antiretroviral programme are far advanced, and recommendations are close to finalisation," the document said. But caregivers such as Zodwa Mqadi, who runs the KwaZulu-Natal based Agape Centre for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS, have more immediate concerns. She is worried that this money will take too long in reaching smaller organisations such as hers. "I am taking care of 69 orphans at the moment and we are really struggling because caring for them is very expensive. I spend sleepless nights trying to come up with ways to keep going," she told PlusNews. Mqadi believes providing HIV-positive pregnant women with the ARV drug nevirapine, is not enough. "They must give the drugs to the mothers and fathers so that we don't have such a big problem with orphaned children." "But on the other hand we appreciate the effort they [the government] are making," she added. The National Association of People living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA) is cautiously optimistic about whether the money will benefit people living with HIV/AIDS (PWAs). "Its quite a lot of money and if it is used properly, it can help us," NAPWA spokesman Thanduxolo Doro, told PlusNews. One of the main priorities should be to train health care workers at primary care level in dealing with HIV-positive people. "PWAs are not receiving adequate care because they are turned back by health care workers," he said. The issue of when ARVs will be rolled out, however, remains unclear. Although Manuel's budget speech did not mention ARVs by name, R1,9-billion (US $233 million) has been made available for "appropriate treatment" for PWAs. This, according to AIDS lobby group the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), indicates that the Department of Finance realises the need for a national ARV programme. "However, there is confusion on what the Department of Health's position is on this issue so the TAC remains concerned as to whether or not government has truly committed to ARV therapy. Only a detailed clarification of how the additional funds will be spent will allay fears that government will continue to stall treatment opportunities," TAC said in a statement. Manuel placed the onus on the public service to deliver. "We in this House, in provincial legislatures and in municipal councils, are charged with ensuring that the funds we vote to departmental programmes and government agencies are responsibly and effectively employed," he said in his speech.