[DEBATE] : corruption, mismanagement mar SA AIDS programme == BBC

[MFleshman at aol.com]

28 November 2007
SA's HIV/Aids fight 'mismanaged' 
Martin Plaut 
BBC Africa analyst 


Corruption and poor oversight have undermined South Africa's  fight against 
HIV/ Aids, a new report says .  
The authors, the Institute of Security Studies and Transparency  
International, say there has been a "potentially lethal cocktail of  mismanagement".  
They blame South Africa's president for questioning the link between HIV and  
Aids and say his stance has had an impact on the whole health system.  
South Africa has the highest incidence of Aids in the world.  
 
The report, titled A Lethal Cocktail, says 30% of the population is infected. 
  
'Lives endangered'  
Politicisation of the disease has created numerous channels for abuse and is  
undermining attempts to counter it, the report says.  
The authors conclude that it has become difficult to disentangle corruption  
from mismanagement and system failure as the root causes of the poor response 
to  Aids.  
Much of the responsibility is laid at the door of President Thabo Mbeki,  
whose well-known questioning of the link between the HIV virus and Aids has  
resulted in activists labelling him an "Aids denialist".  
The report says that his stand has had an impact throughout the health  
system, creating numerous channels for abuse.  
The authors cite an example of a doctor dismissed for allowing a rape charity 
 to use a disused hospital, because they were distributing anti-retroviral 
drugs.   
The local politician accused the doctor concerned of endangering black lives  
and threatening to turn South Africa into a banana republic. 
Story from BBC  NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7116836.stm





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