Monitoring AIDS treatment in South Africa

Duration: 4min 37sec

Transcript

THANDEKA: Lo mbutho umtsha uquka imibutho efana ne AIDS Law Project, i-IDASA, TAC, Medicins San Frontieres neminye imibutho ejongongene nabantu abanogawulayo. Ngokuka Dennis Matwa lo mbutho ufuna ukufuman ingcombolo neekcukacha kwinqubo yokunikezelwa kwezithomalalisi kugawulayo eMzantsi Afrika.

Translation: This civil society forum consists of organizations from AIDS Law Project, Centre for Health Policy, IDASA (Institute for Democracy in South Africa) Treatment Action Campaign, Medicins Sans Frontieres and other organizations. According to Dennis Matwa this forum seeks to get more access to information about the South African antiretroviral (ARV) rollout programme.

DENNIS: Sinengxaki ngale information singayinikwayo ukuthi i-roll-out lena yee ARV’€™s ukuba kumaxa iphina? Si worried ke yindlela esingayifumani ngayo intsebenziswano ku Minister of Health ukusixelela ukuba ii-targets ezi azi zabantu ebekufuneka ukubababe bayalufumana unyango kumaxa bephi ngabo and sincwase ukuba pha ngexesha eliphi kufuneka ukuba kube seku treat(we) abantu abathile. Lento sithi xa siyikhumshayo ke lo document ngu Annexture A ohamba ne Operational Plan.

Translation: We are faced with a problem of not getting access to information on the progress of the rollout of ARVs. We are concerned about the lack of co-operation from the Minister of Health. We need to know the targets for how many people are supposed to be getting treatment and how far the programme has developed. We need information that is contained in Annexure A and the Operational Plan.

THANDEKA: Amaphondo amabini elase Ntshona Koloni neGauteng kuthiwa ahlahle indlela etyananazileyo nentsebenziswano entle phakathi kwiSebe LezeMpilo nabantu. Ingaba ke yintoni eyenza ukuba amanye amaphondo ashiyeke ngasemva?

Translation: The Western Cape and Gauteng provinces are making progress and have created a good working relationship between the public health system and civil society. So what is missing in the other provinces?

DENNIS MATWA: Ingxaki kwamanye amaphondo yilena yokuba pha ufumana ukuthi une MECs ze health ezi reluctant ukusebenzisana ne civil society and ufumanise ukuba pha ngokunganiki kwazo i-political leadership ukubonisa i-commitment yazo kwi antiretroviral roll-out iphela iba ne impact e-negative especially kwi health care workers.   Ziphela zii confused ukuthi what is it that they need to do kuba ziyabona ukuba naba abantu bayafa ezandleni zabo; but abayazi ukuba mabathini kuba abafumani support from ii-heads ze department.   On the contrary xa ujonga kwi Gauteng ne Western Cape you find that you have a good political leadership exelayo straight ukuba umcimbi we HIV/AIDS ufuna uku tackle(ishwa) head on   yilento ibangela kubekho umehluko.

Translation: The problem in other provinces is that Health MECs are reluctant to work closely with civil society. Because of this lack of political leadership to show commitment to the rollout of antiretrovirals this has a negative impact – especially on health care workers who do not know what to do and what treatment to give. They end up confused. They see people dying whilst in their care and they don’€™t get support from the heads of the department. Contrary to that, when you look at Gauteng and the Western Cape you will find that you have good political leadership that makes a vast difference from the other provinces.

THANDEKA: Ukuba ke inani labantu abeza ngaphambili befuna unyango liyenyuka ingaba lonto ithetha ntoni?

Translation: If the numbers of people who are coming forward to get help in order to get ARVs is increasing, what does that mean?

DENNIS MATWA: Ja, lona inani ngenene liyenyuka labantu abaza ngaphambili befuna ukuncedwa ngee ARVs baye bebona abantu ukuthi likhona nyani uncedo kulo process leyo abantu baphela be test(a). I study ebesisandulukwenziwa yi HSRC si indicate(a) ukuthi liyenyuka izinga labantu at least ngento ephaya kwi 15% abantu abayayo ngaphambili kuba befuna uncedo more particularly kwii provinces ezifana ne Western Cape ne Gauteng apho there’€™s i-political will abantu bayaya because bayayazi lukhona uncedo. Into eba difficult ukuyenza kwezinye i-provinces because umntu uyayazi ukuba ndizakuhamba ndiyoku test(wa) ndizakuncedwa phi because ayi advertise(wa) le programme.

Translation: Yes, the number of people who want to get ARVs is increasing. People are getting the message because they see they can get help. In the process people are coming voluntarily for AIDS tests. A study conducted by the HSRC shows that there is an increase of some 15% in the number of people who are coming forward especially in the Western Cape and Gauteng where there’€™s political will. People are coming forward because they know they can get help. This is not possible in the other provinces. A person knows if I get tested there’€™s little help that I can get because there’€™s less advertising of the ARV rollout programme.

THANDEKA: UMatwa uthi urhulumente urhuqa iinyawo ekuziseni isabelo esisiso kumachiza athomalalisa ugawulayo kumaphomdo. Echaza ukuba icotha njani lenkqubo karhulumente.

Translation: Matwa says government is dragging its feet in the allocation of ARVs to the provinces. He explains how slow the governmen has been to provide a treatment plan.

DENNIS MATWA: Umzekelo i-Operational Plan ii-targets zase Gauteng for uMarch ngo 2004 babethe ba target(a) uku treat(a) abantu abayi 10 000 ayenzekanga lonto leyo. Abantu abakwi antiretrovirals drugs ba plus minus 2800. Uye eNorth West i-target yabo yayi 1880 into esisimanga ngoku ba treat(a) abantu abayi 130. Uye e Northen Cape i-target yabo for uMarch 2004 yayingu 790 umnqa it’€™s only 150 yabantu. E-Eastern Cape babe target(e) i-   2 750 batreat(a) only 124 yabantu. Ujonge ke ukuba ibingekho i-MSF oyi organization exhomekeke kwi public donors uyakwazi uku treat(a) abantu abayi 380 uyogqitha iDepartment of Health yase Eastern Cape ndithetha uMSF e-Eastern Cape. E-Western Cape yeyona province iyenzileyo i-target yoku treat(a) abantu abayi 2728 ujonge into abayenzileyo at present ba treat(a) 3834 yabantu. KwaZulu Natal babe target(e) uku treat(a) 24 902 yabantu abakwazanga at all ba treat(a) i-535. ELimpopo   i-target yabo yayi 6 965 yi plus minus 20 yabantu abakwi treatment xa sithetha nje.

Translation: An example is that the Operational Plan target in Gauteng for Mach 2004 was for 10 000 people to be on treatment. This did not materialize. Instead about 2 800 people are being treated. In the North West the target was for 1 808. To our dismay only 130 people are receiving treatment. In the Northern Cape the target for March 2004 was 790 but only 150 are on treatment. The Eastern Cape’€™s target was 2 750 but only 124 people are being treated. If you look at KwaZulu Natal their target was 24 902 but they couldn’€™t reach their target, instead only 534 people are getting treatment. In Limpopo the target was 6 965, but only plus minus 20 people that are in treatment.

THANDEKA: Ingaba ngoku ke nithi makuthini ningu Treatment Action Campaign nale mibutho ijongene nabantu abaphila nentsholongwane kagawulayo?

Translation: What are you, as a representative of the Treatment Action Campaign and the civil society forum, suggesting should happen?

DENNIS MATWA: Into esiyithethayo singu Treatment Action Campaign plus nee organizations ezikule coalition sithi mayenziwe i-information ibe accessible ebantwini especially i-information ephayana ku Annexture A because uAnnexture A njengokuba benditshilo kuqala uyakuxelela ngee targets ukuthi what are they targeting for i-patient. What are ii-timeframes. Sithi mayize loo information leyo ayiyo state secret njengokuba uMinister Manto esitsho. Mayize loo information ebantwini failing to do that we are going to use i-Access to Information Act to get i-access to that vital information. Kuba asinako uku operate(a) freely without that vital information.

Translation: What we are saying as Treatment Action Campaign and the organisations in this coalition is that the information that is contained in Annexure A should be made available to the public. Annexure A, stipulates what they [governent] are targeting? What are they targeting for a patient? What are their time frames? That information should come forward it’€™s not a state secret as the Minister puts it. Failing to do that,   we are going to use the Access to Information Act to get that vital information. There’€™s no way that we can operate freely without having that vital information.

THANDEKA: Kuzakuthini kengoku?

Translation: What is going to happen?

DENNIS: Thina ke singu Treatment Action Campaign nge 2nd kaNovember siya e Pretoria High Court.   Thina singu TAC ne AIDS Law Project separately. Sithi sifuna ukusebenzisa I-Acess to Information Act to get i-access to uAnnexture A. I coalition yona izaku phinda idibane towards i-end ka November.

Translation: On the 2nd of November Treatment Action Campaign will contest this case in the Pretoria High Court.   TAC and the AIDS Law Project are saying that we want to use the Access to Information Act to get access to Annexure A. The coalition will meet again towards the end of November.

E-mail Thandeka Teyise

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