back to top Universal Access in South Africa
Reaching 2 million people with antiretroviral treatment this month, South Africa has surpassed its target of universal access by 2015. From a history of denialism, and a background of years of political inaction on HIV and AIDS, South Africa has emerged as an inspiring leader in the response to the global HIV epidemic.
Few other African countries have achieved their universal access targets; Botswana, Namibia and Rwanda reached the goal of 80 percent treatment coverage in 2010, with Swaziland joining the list in early 2012. For South Africa, expanding antiretroviral treatment will go some way towards reversing the impact that thirty years of the epidemic has had on its society and economy. Moreover, with nearly one-in-six adults living with HIV, delivering treatment to more than three quarters of those in need bodes a positive future for many South Africans.
What has enabled South Africa to achieve this? Its successful PMTCT programme has ensured thorough antenatal HIV testing and necessary treatment for mothers and infants. By pioneering the largest HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) campaign in the world, the country has addressed the issue of stigma head on and encouraged people to come forward and be tested for HIV and TB. Through steadfast negotiations, antiretroviral drugs have reduced in price by 53 percent; allowing the health sector to distribute drugs to more people, within the same budget. The next step, according to the newly revamped SANAC (South Africa National AIDS Council) is for South Africa to focus on prevention.
Delivering HIV treatment on a universal scale has many advantages beyond the principal benefit of ensuring people with HIV have better health and quality of life. Access to treatment, if adhered to, also means that people with HIV have a lower viral load; this can reduce the risk of onward HIV transmission. Greater access to HIV treatment has been shown to translate into less AIDS-related deaths and consequently less of an impact on families and communities; to date there are nearly 2 million children orphaned by HIV and AIDS in South Africa. As SANAC identify, however, access to treatment is only one part of addressing HIV & AIDS and if progress is to be made governments must also invest in HIV prevention.
To help others achieve similar results to South Africa, certain barriers need to be overcome. Like South Africa, moving towards domestic sources of funding makes for a more sustainable response to HIV and AIDS. The fight against stigma and discrimination must be government led, and laws that criminalise those most at risk of HIV infection must be repealed. Central, however, to achieving universal access is the commitment of both leaders and citizens to actively respond to HIV and AIDS.
You can cover this topic in more detail on AVERT’s 'Universal Access' page.
