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South Africans have welcomed a comprehensive HIV/AIDS treatment plan approved by the cabinet in November and expected to be implemented in 2004.
However, AIDS activists have said the rollout of antiretroviral drugs to people living with HIV/AIDS would only be efficient if there were better public health centres.
The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) said one of its challenges in the coming year would be to campaign for "decent health centres", especially in rural communities, where existing facilities were dilapidated.
TAC spokesman Mark Heywood was quoted by the South African Press Association as saying: "We are going to launch the People's Health Service Campaign to mobilise trade unions and South Africans at large to put pressure on government and the private health sector on this issue."
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions