Doctors Urged to Support Disobedience Campaign

South African Press Association (Johannesburg)

March 20, 2003
Posted to the web March 20, 2003

Pretoria

Medical doctors on Thursday were encouraged to support a civil disobedience campaign to lobby for the creation of a national HIV/Aids treatment plan.

The SA Medical Association (SAMA) came out in full support of the protest, initiated by the Aids drug lobby group Treatment Action Campaign.

In a statement, SAMA said its chairman Dr Kgosi Letlape "encourages doctors to support the TAC's campaign, and participate should they wish to do so. However, he emphasised that doctors' participation should not compromise patient care in any way".

The TAC campaign is to start on Friday, Human Rights Day. The group has said it would be prepared to break laws and risk arrest to drive its point across.

Letlape said doctors could not accept the government's policy of not providing anti-retroviral treatment (ART) to HIV-positive people.

"While government is slow in approving policies on ART, doctors should stand up for the health of their patients."

Doctors were part of the fight against HIV/Aids, and it was their duty to tell others where they stand, Letlape said.