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Health ministry declares social grants to HIV-positive people illegal

    JOHANNESBURG

    The Namibian government has made a shock announcement disallowing social or disability grants to HIV-positive people.

    A local newspaper, The Namibian, reported that the permanent secretary of the health ministry, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, had sent a circular to all senior medical officials informing them that any payment of these grants to people living with HIV/AIDS was illegal.

    Shangula stated that the country's Pension Act made no provision for HIV-positive people to receive the grants.

    The AIDS Law Unit (ALU) slammed the move, calling it a "short-sighted and disastrous new policy directive".

    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

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