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(2004/C 33 E/086)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0917/03

by Claude Moraes (PSE) to the Commission

(24 March 2003)

Subject:   HIV/AIDS in South Africa

In its development aid to South Africa, what view is the Commission taking on the actions of the South African Government on their provision of anti-retroviral therapies and the provision of the drug Nevirapine to pregnant women across South African provinces?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(16 April 2003)

The Commission takes the view that it is for the South African Government to determine its policy in this field, but it has on more than one occasion voiced serious concern over the ambiguous approach taken in the past in relation to the fight against human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS).

The Commission notes that the South-African Government has clarified its policy in recent months and has earmarked significant resources for it in the 2003-2004 budget. It strongly supports the government's new position allowing for treatment of mother-to-child transmission and on anti-retroviral therapy for victims of rape and notes the considerable progress (albeit not universal) that has been made in this regard. The Commission hopes that the South-African Government will make further progress in developing a comprehensive HIV/AIDS treatment policy and will begin a phased approach towards the provision of anti-retroviral medicines.

However, one must realise that the problem is very complex. It is estimated that approximately 7 million people in South Africa are HIV-infected. The cost of comprehensive treatment is therefore likely to be enormous. The Commission Delegation in Pretoria is currently assisting the South African Department of Health in working out a realistic estimate of the budgetary implications. It is hoped that detailed figures will be available in six to eight weeks from now.

At a general policy level the Commission supports the right of people living with HIV/AIDS to have access to affordable treatments, including suitable combinations of anti-retroviral drugs, as part of a comprehensive package of prevention, treatment, care and control for HIV/AIDS.

Under the European Programme for Reconstruction and Development (EPRD), the Commission financially supports the South-African health care and HIV/AIDS efforts through a number of programmes, including a recently launched, EUR 25 million, ‘Partnership for the delivery of primary health care, including HIV/AIDS’. Through its Public Health Sector Support Programme the Commission also funds 6 nongovernmental organisations active in the fight against HIV/AIDS, among them ‘The AIDS Law Project’ (ALP). The ALP is closely associated with the Treatment Action Campaign and both organisations lobby very strongly for improved access to HIV/AIDS treatment for all South Africans.

The new Community-South Africa country strategy and ‘Multi-annual Indicative programme’, which has been approved and is ready for signing, identifies the HIV/AIDS pandemic as the major challenge facing South African society. The programme features HIV/AIDS as both part of a major focal area of intervention and as a cross-cutting issue.

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