South African Government Pledges to Offer Anti-HIV Drugs Nationwide, but Refuses to Set a Date

The South African National AIDS Council said the government will soon offer antiretroviral drugs throughout the country, but did not give a specific date for releasing the drugs. The council said the government was at an advanced stage of dealing with the Task Team Report on the Expanded Response to HIV/AIDS. "I will not try to invent dates. All of us recognize the urgency. We are responsible enough to move as swiftly as possible," said Deputy President Jacob Zuma in a statement. The statement follows a meeting between the council and the AIDS activist group Treatment Action Campaign. The government has said it would be too expensive to provide all infected South Africans with drugs and has questioned their effectiveness. Last year, the Constitutional Court ordered the government to supply antiretroviral drugs to public hospitals and clinics.

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