AIDS slips country into under-development

Largely due to HIV/AIDS, South Africa is slipping backwards into under-development, a new UN Development Programme (UNDP) report has said. Using indicators such as life expectancy, educational attainment and income, the Human Development Report 2003 shows the country falling to 111th place out of 175 countries ranked worldwide. It was placed 107th last year. "South Africa has slipped mainly because of lower life expectancy due to AIDS, and the drop in [primary education] enrolment rates, again due to HIV/AIDS," UNDP resident representative, John Ohiorhenuan, said in a statement. He called for a critical look at the effectiveness of some of the government's policies. Local AIDS activists and medical experts have criticised the government for the lack of a national treatment plan, despite government insistence that existing HIV/AIDS strategies were successful. Access the full report at: http://www.undp.org/hdr2003/