HIV drugs: Dolutegravir, the new kid on the block Nomatter Ndebele, NSP Review journalist As the fight against HIV/AIDS continues, researchers and health clinicians are looking towards a future that will see low to middle income countries having access to better medication and more cost-effective drugs. While the current first-line Continue Reading
The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) has been recognised as one of the most effective social movements in post-apartheid South Africa. Among other things, it is responsible for the world’s largest programme to provide anti-retroviral treatment to people with HIV through the public health system, writes SECTION27’s Executive Director, Mark Heywood, Continue Reading
Patient Groups admitted as ‘friends of the court’ in Genesis Medical Scheme v Minister of Health 4 August 2015 On 29 July 2015, Judge Blignault of the Western Cape High Court handed down a judgment allowing various parties to intervene in the case of Genesis Medical Scheme v Minister of Continue Reading
26 September 2014, Pretoria – Twenty years ago the then AIDS Law Project (ALP) wrote its first letter to the Minister of Defence and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) challenging the practice of mandatory HIV testing and its continued refusal to deploy people living with HIV. In the subsequent Continue Reading
Sister Sue Roberts On Tuesday 1 July 2014 Sue Roberts retires. I have known Sue for nearly 20 years. It’s remarkable that a large part of her life as a nurse almost coincides with the history of HIV/AIDS in South Africa, from the late 1980s through to today. And in Continue Reading
SECTION27’s Nikki Stein was interviewed about the DBE’s policy on HIV and TB by the 702 Talk Radio Midday report anchor, while Sasha Stevenson gave a speech at the DENOSA PPE launch this week. Please take the time to listen to the podcast and read the speech. Nikki Steyn Speech Continue Reading
Following years of negotiations between the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the AIDS Law Project (ALP) regarding the SANDF’s old health classification policy that excluded people living with HIV from recruitment, external deployment and promotion in the military, in 2008 the North Gauteng High Court settled the matter. Pursuant to an out of court settlement between the two parties, the Court declared such policy as unconstitutional to the extent that it violated the rights of aspirant and serving members of the SANDF to equality and dignity, among other rights.
SECTION27 welcomes the judgment from the Supreme Court of the United States in USAID v AOSI. The judgment declared a law making the denunciation of sex work a requirement to be eligible to receive funding from the US to combat HIV an unconstitutional violation of the right to freedom of speech. The judgment opens the door for much needed and previously prohibited work to realize the rights of sex workers and other people living with HIV or at risk of becoming infected with HIV.
The 6th South African AIDS Conference opened last night in Durban. Sifiso Nkala of the TAC took the stage and accepted the Dira Sengwe Leadership Award on behalf of the TAC. The award “recognises ethical beacons and leaders in AIDS” and was awarded to the TAC in recognition of its critical role in the HIV movement since its inception.
The conference, as the HIV movement more broadly, must be led by the people for whom the ideas and decisions discussed at it mean the most – people living with HIV, yet Sifiso was the only person openly living with HIV to share the stage at the opening ceremony. In the tradition of TAC activism, Sifiso took the opportunity of TAC’s receipt of the award to address the conference audience of around 2500 on the challenges that cripple the health system, cost lives and show that the end of AIDS is not so near as some would have us believe.
Following years of engagement with the insurance industry on the issue of the blanket refusals to provide insurance cover to individuals living with HIV, SECTION27 is encouraged that a permanent favourable solution could be found soon. This follows the recent groundbreaking commitment made by the Association for Savings & Investment South Africa (ASISA).
On 15 May 2013 the Minister of Health, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, delivered his annual National Health budget and policy speech (here). The speech provides an opportunity for the Minister and his department to communicate progress they have made in delivering health services, the challenges they face and what they plan to do to advance the right to health.
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) and the Department of Health (DoH) jointly announced the Guidelines for the Management
of Tuberculosis, Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Sexually-‐Transmitted Infections in Correctional Centres, 2013 (the Guidelines) on World
TB Day, 24 March 2013. Centre for Applied Legal Studies. WIts Justice Project, SECTION27 and Treatment Action Campaign wrote a joint submission