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'AIDS drugs essential for HIV/AIDS patients'

    JOHANNESBURG

    Antiretroviral drug treatment for HIV/AIDS patients was essential since international precedents indicated a marked decline in AIDS-related mortality rates, the Human Research Council (HRC) said in a statement to parliament this week.

    Speaking during public hearings over HIV/AIDS, HRC chief executive Dr Olive Shisana said the state's policy on HIV/AIDS drugs should not be linked to costs or a lack of infrastructure. The 'Beeld' newspaper reported that she suggested that HIV/AIDS treatment at academic hospitals be instituted, while the government considered other more affordable options including imports from Brazil or Thailand.

    The HRC is currently assessing infrastructural requirements of the primary health care system on behalf of the government. "Our country's infrastructure is not ready for a massive campaign (for anti-retroviral treatment). However, it could be initiated at tertiary institutions. The government can make a start by applying it on a small scale," Shisana was reported as saying.

    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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