Sadly some soldiers had to leave their comrades behind It may be some time before they become available, as the government needs to set up contracts with suppliers, train health care workers, and identify and upgrade treatment centres, especially in rural areas."There is still a long way to go," Ms Tshabalala-Msimang said. Asked whether he knew anyone who was HIV-positive, he responded: "I really, honestly, don't know."Prominent members of Mr Mbeki's African National Congress (ANC) party have died of Aids and his own spokesman, Parks Mankahlana, also died two years ago after a long struggle.Yesterday's cabinet meeting agreed a plan submitted by Health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang clearing the way for anti-retroviral drugs to be distributed. "Mr Mbeki may repeat his opinions on Aids in the future, but it will no longer affect how the governments responds to this major health crisis."Mr Mbeki recently caused outrage by denying knowing any victims of the disease."Personally, I don't know anybody who has died of Aids," he told an American journalist last September. In the past, he has supported "dissident" scientists, who query the link between HIV and Aids. He has recently withdrawn from public discussion of the disease."This is a watershed for victims of this disease," said David Harrison, who runs an Aids prevention project called LoveLife. More than 10 per cent of the country's population lives on less than 50 pence per day and 35 per cent live on less than £1 per day - and the only hope Aids victims have of long-term survival is to get free medicines through the health system.Yesterday's cabinet decision has effectively ditched President Mbeki's policy of denial. But the government has been widely criticised for refusing to provide Aids medicine for sufferers, saying it would be too expensive and questioning the drugs' effectiveness.The vast majority of South Africa's Aids suffers cannot afford to buy expensive retroviral drugs. "Sadly some soldiers had to leave their comrades behind." Mr Dean is due to go to Hawaii for the repatriation of his brother's remains where further tests will be carried out..
South Africa's government yesterday reversed its much-ridiculed policy by finally offering to treat its 5 million Aids sufferers through the health system, while jettisoning controversial beliefs about the disease held by President Thabo Mbeki. Charlie, aged 23, was travelling through south-east Asia with an Australian friend, Neil Sharman. After spending a month of so in the Laotian capital, Vientiane, the two left on a ferry, intending to travel to neighbouring Thailand. Mr Dean said they had been told in 1975 that Charles had been killed after being taken hostage by communist Pathet Lao rebels on September 4, 1974.Mr Dean's parents went to Laos to search for Charles but found nothing. Mr Dean, who had grief counselling in the 1980s to deal with his brother's death, travelled to Laos himself last year to look into the disappearance. "When you go through something like this you have a tremendous sense of survivor guilt and anger at the person who disappears and then guilt over the anger - it's very complicated" he said. In an autobiography Mr Dean said his parents believed his brother had been a spy though he had never seen any evidence to support this. |
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