South Africa\'s ARV supporter sacked from Health Ministry

South Africa\'s Health Minister, Barbara Hogan, who shifted government policy away from treating HIV/AIDS with traditional medicine or a  healthier diet to greater use of antiretroviral drugs (Marketletters  passim) has been sacked, according to local reports. Ms Hogan, who was  appointed in a blaze of enthusiasm late last year, with HIV activists  holding street parties to celebrate the removal of the controversial  Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, was allegedly demoted to responsibility for  public enterprises because of her outspoken and public criticism of the  government\'s policy of not allowing the Dalai Lama to visit South  Africa and the remaining skepticism among some African National Congress  colleagues over the ARV treatment campaign.

The recently-elected President Jacob Zuma was acquitted in a rape trial  three years ago, during which he was reported to have claimed he took a  shower after sex with an HIV-positive woman in order to avoid  contracting the disease. There is a drive for alternative methods of  dealing with HIV/AIDS, a condition which affects an estimated five  million people in South Africa, the largest number of any country  worldwide. Even Ms Hogan\'s efforts had only resulted in reaching about  695,293 people, or less than 14% of the affected population by January  this year (Marketletter April 16). The much-criticized Dr  Tshabalala-Msimang had argued that a diet of garlic and certain  vegetables would improve nutrition levels, which is a factor in  managing HIV infection, and favored a scaling up of ARV treatment in  line with the country\'s infrastructural capacity, her supporters argue.

The new Health Minister is Aaron Motsoaledi with Molefi Sefularo  assuming the position of Deputy Health Minister both of them are  physicians. Among the issues the new government team will be dealing  with are the new regulatory structure to replace the Medicines Control  Council (Marketletter June 16 and 30, 2008) as well as whether to  regulate drug prices or introduce compulsory patent licensing  (Marketletter April 16).