[afro-nets] No ARV roll-out is better than a bad ARV roll-out (16)

[J Mark Adams <j.mark.adams@iafrica.com>]

No ARV roll-out is better than a bad ARV roll-out (16)
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On 18 April 2004 07:03 George Koning wrote:
 >
 > Mark,
 >
 > Is it not strange that a country which can afford to buy US$ 10
 > billion worth of jets , submarines etc., etc. (who knows what
 > for) cannot afford to buy the AVR (or until very recently did
 > everything in its power to avoid it)?

Just when we thought we had that beat (through the use of the
courts, the threat of use of the courts etc.) we notice that
other issues are being introduced so as to delay the treatment
roll out and thereby deny treatment to the sick.

The most insidious of the new tactics is the use of pliable
"health professionals" to question (not whether the treatment
roll out should happen but rather) whether if the infrastructure
is in place to facilitate this roll out (hence the subject of
this thread).

In the best tradition of the school of "delay is the best form
of denial" people continue to die, at 600 per day, and the net
of criminal complicity has been spread to envelop a larger
group. Up to now it has been pretty straight forward. Up to now
Mbeki and a series of so-called "health ministers" have been
driving this genocide. As it is clear that there is a case of
criminal negligence (at the very least) that can be made against
Mbeki and his accomplices they have hit upon a scheme to pass
the responsibility to others. This is achieved by announcing the
planned roll-out of ARV and then having their stooges come out
with statements like "No ARV roll-out is better than a bad ARV
roll-out". And then they are off the hook. Quite clever when you
think about it, quite sad how easily the so-called "health pro-
fessionals" have allowed themselves to get sucked into this
cynical scheme.


 > Not much kicking and screaming this end (and I know - I live
 > here). Before we run off asking for handouts with some weak ex-
 > cuse that we cannot afford it, we should look at what we think
 > is important and what our own priorities are before we point
 > fingers. It's about time we (those who consider themselves to be
 > Africans) took responsibility for the poverty, political mess
 > and our inability to change our life styles for whatever reason
 > before we think of asking anyone else for help.

Mbeki has been able to couch the demands for a rapid roll-out of
ARV as a party political issue where the opposition is using it
to try and capture votes etc., etc. This of course makes it dif-
ficult for the party faithful to go public about the issue as
that is not something a disciplined member of the party should
do, not so?


 > It's this kind reality check which is needed to address the
 > problems here - they do it at AA

Tell me more.

--
J Mark Adams
mailto:j.mark.adams@iafrica.com