SWAZILAND: Free antiretroviral drugs next year

AIDS activists on Tuesday called on the government to speed up the delivery of antiretrovirals to people living with the virus.

Ministry of Health and Social Welfare principal-secretary John Kunene announced on Monday that the long-awaited HIV/AIDS drugs would definitely be available next year.

According to Kunene, arrangements to have the antiretrovirals available in the country "are already at a high level as government has engaged in negotiations with South African-based drug manufacturing company GlaskoSmithKline," the Swazi Times reported.

But activists told the UN news agency IRIN that the government had made the same promises last year.

"The ministry first announced the availability of HIV/AIDS drugs to the public in 2001 but has made no visible progress to date," said executive member of the Swaziland AIDS Support Organisation, Kenneth Matsebula.

Matsebula said that while there were antiretrovirals available over the counter, many people living with HIV/AIDS could not afford them.

Kunene said that although nevirapine, one of the antiretroviral drugs, would be provided free of charge, the health ministry was short of funds to also make AZT freely available.

"We have been through many negotiations with the ministry and can now only wait and see what and see if they keep their promises," Matsebula said.

Figures soon to be released by Swaziland's Ministry of Health will show that 38 percent of the country's adult population is HIV-positive. The figure is up from the 34.5 percent recorded at the beginning of this year, and far above last year's official count of 22.5 percent.