Judge Pillay, on dealing with the AIDS pandemic in Durban Westville
Correctional Centre
8 September 2006
The Government's legal team has filed an affidavit today, 8 September 2006,
on its interim intervention plan to deal with the HIV and AIDS pandemic and a
report on progress made in the implementation of comprehensive HIV and AIDS
programmes and services in Durban Westville Correctional Centre, in compliance
with a court order.
The interim plan maps out various efforts either already undertaken or to be
done by the department in collaboration with the Departments of Health and Home
Affairs to remove various factors that were inhibiting progress in the
provision of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy to offenders with a CD4 count of less
than 200. The interventions include amongst others, increasing the number of
accredited public health ARV sites accessed by offenders, waver of the Identity
Document (ID) requirement for accessing treatment from health facilities,
provisional free processing of ID applications for offenders who qualify to
commence with the ARV treatment programme, appointment of a project
co-ordinator, as well as the deployment of three seasonal doctors, two fulltime
lay counsellors and a seasonal dietician.
The department also submitted a list of 114 offenders who are on the ARV
treatment programme, 72 of whom are already getting ARV medication in the
Medium B Correctional Centre alone. The interventions had improved access by
over 80% from 14, before the court decision, to 114 offenders by the end of
August 2006. Also annexed to the affidavit is an outline of a comprehensive HIV
and AIDS management programme that is anchored on four pillars of the national
framework of the Department of Health which include prevention, care and
support, treatment and promotion of human rights of offenders living with HIV
and AIDS.
The Government was ordered by Judge Pillay to comply with the interim
execution order pending an appeal against his ruling on the provision of ARVs
to offenders at Durban Westville Correctional Centre. The new compliance date
of 8 September 2006 was set by Judge Nicholson when he upheld Judge Pillay's
interim execution order on appeal.
Enquires:
Manelisi Wolela
Spokesperson
Cell: 083 626 0304
Issued by: Department of Correctional Services
8 September 2006
