The Editor
New York Times
229W 43rd Street
New York NY 10036-3959
Dear
Sir/Madam
I was
disappointed to read your editorial in the December 13, 2001 issue of the New
York Times entitled “..The Global Fund Confronts AIDS..” which contained an
irresponsible reference to South Africa as being the “most notorious
example” of countries that deny they have an HIV/AIDS problem.
This
statement has no factual basis and is inherently incorrect. It is unbecoming a
newspaper of your standing to publish editorials containing unsubstantiated
statements. The facts speak for themselves.
The South
African Government has never denied that it has an HIV/AIDS problem. On the
contrary, the comprehensive range of cross-cutting activities that the
government is involved in, bears testimony to a government that is deeply seized
with addressing not just the HIV/AIDS epidemic but also the factors that fuel
its spread, such as social deprivation, unemployment and widespread poverty.
The South
African HIV/AIDS Program has been designed, funded and implemented under
government leadership with funding increasing more than ten times since 1994
when the current Administration took over. In 1998, the government established
the South African Partnership Against AIDS with leaders of all sectors of civil
society. In fact, UNAIDS has been reported as regarding South Africa’s
HIV/AIDS Program as one of the best in Africa.
Our Treasury
Department has identified the strengthening of programs to address the impact of
the HIV/AIDS epidemic as one of the priorities of the 2002 budget and has
increased the allocation for provincial programs five-fold from R110 million in
2000 to a total of R513 million over the next two financial years. The
Department of Health’s allocation for HIV/AIDS was approximately R20 million
in 1994 and has increased more than ten-fold to R212 million in 2001.
The South
African AIDS Vaccine Initiative, established in 1999 and heavily funded by
government, will embark on the first clinical trial during 2002 using a vaccine
candidate that targets the specific viral strain prevalent in Southern Africa.
South Africa
played a critical role in focussing attention on the need for developing
countries to access affordable drugs for the public health crises we face, which
resulted in the pharmaceutical companies’ settlement of its law-suit against
the government. The World Trade Organization’s recent declaration that the
TRIPS Agreement should not be a barrier to governments in dealing with public
health needs, is an indirect tribute to South Africa’s challenge of an
accepted “principle” that the protection of intellectual property rights
outweighs the needs of the public. We will soon publish regulations that will
enable us to procure cheaper drugs to treat among others the complications of
HIV/AIDS.
At this
point in time, however, the government cannot afford the cost of providing the
“cocktail’ anti-retroviral therapies commonly used in the developed world to
treat HIV-positive persons. Nonetheless, we are putting in place the supportive
infrastructure that will be required when we can afford to provide such drugs.
As you can
see, there are many readily available examples that can be cited to underscore
the government’s acknowledgement of and commitment to addressing the HIV/AIDS
epidemic had your researcher taken the trouble.
The
challenge presented by the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS epidemic requires that we
all work together in a constructive manner if we are to be successful in our
efforts.
Your recent
series of articles on HIV/AIDS in Hlabisa, South Africa (11/25/2001 to
12/01/2001) reflected an appreciation of the complex context in which HIV/AIDS
thrives. Before singling out South Africa in the way that you have done in your
editorial, I encourage you to similarly acknowledge the efforts of my government
to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in a sustainable manner.
Sincerely
H.E. Sheila
Sisulu
South
Africa’s Ambassador to the United States