We are playing the proverbial fiddle while Rome burns. As Government, we need to get off our pedestals and accept responsibility for what we can deliver.
Government does carry an enormous load of responsibility.
Sure, we must concentrate our efforts on gaining cost-effective access to drugs such as antiretroviral agents, but this cannot be done by creating tensions in relationships with and distancing ourselves from large international pharmaceutical firms. We need to recognise their considerable financial investment in solving the problem and acknowledge the positive role they are playing in combating the disease. Up to this point in time, nobody in government seems to have any idea as to how to begin cooperating with the drugs companies with the objective of lowering the cost of medicines. Right here in the Western Cape, we have taken a more pragmatic view. In a pilot project, at provincial level, we have authorised the treatment of pregnant women in clinics with antiretroviral agents.