South Africa: Government to Avail Female Condoms

South African Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang says the government is intensifying efforts to ensure female condoms are available free of charge. The minister was addressing a gathering of Women in Partnership Against AIDS in Pretoria on Monday. WIPAA is an organization of women mobilizing provincially and nationally to curb the spread of the disease.

Tshabalala-Msimang said efforts were also being stepped up to ensure that women know how to use the condoms, which are 20 times more expensive than male condoms. Though a very costly intervention, the minister said the government is working with international partners to explore ways of ensuring the viability of this program. "We know that even if women get these condoms, they still have to negotiate their use with their partners in relationships that are in most cases not favorable for women to raise these issues." For this reason, she said the government is focusing on research into the development of microbicides.

Microbicides are not currently available, but scientists are reportedly pursuing over 50 product leads. With sufficient investment, a microbicide could be available within five years. Tshabalala-Msimang added that if the research proves successful, women would be able to use this gel without having to negotiate condom use with their partners.

Touching on women's role in the society, the minister paid tribute to the WIPAA, saying the partnership had succeeded tremendously in advising and monitoring the development of policies and laws pertaining to women. "As we mark the National Women's Day, let us not forget that HIV/AIDS touch women from all walks of life. However, in our country and all over the world, women are coming together to find better means to combat HIV/AIDS," she said. Future generations will remember the important role played by WIPAA in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Tshabalala-Msimang said, comparing its members to the women who rose up against apartheid laws in 1956.

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