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| Mbeki blamed for 330,000 deaths | Mbeki blamed for 330,000 deaths |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Ex-South African President Thabo Mbeki's decision to block medication to HIV patients is estimated to have cost the lives of 330,000 people. | Ex-South African President Thabo Mbeki's decision to block medication to HIV patients is estimated to have cost the lives of 330,000 people. |
| A Harvard School of Public Health study said the deaths were caused by Mr Mbeki's decision in 1999 to declare the available drugs toxic and dangerous. | A Harvard School of Public Health study said the deaths were caused by Mr Mbeki's decision in 1999 to declare the available drugs toxic and dangerous. |
| He had decided that the government would not provide the treatment. | He had decided that the government would not provide the treatment. |
| Mr Mbeki's spokesman referred media enquiries to the government, but no spokesman was available to comment. | Mr Mbeki's spokesman referred media enquiries to the government, but no spokesman was available to comment. |
| The study, published on 20 October, said that as a result of Mr Mbeki's policies, nearly 35,000 babies were also born HIV positive between 2000 and 2005. | |
| The former president had failed to roll out the drugs which could have prevented mother-to-child transmission, said the researchers. | The former president had failed to roll out the drugs which could have prevented mother-to-child transmission, said the researchers. |
| The study, led by Dr Pride Chigwedere, accused the South African government of "acting as a major obstacle in the provision of medication to patients with Aids". | The study, led by Dr Pride Chigwedere, accused the South African government of "acting as a major obstacle in the provision of medication to patients with Aids". |
| The authors said that under the leadership of Mr Mbeki, the government had restricted use of donated anti-retroviral drugs and blocked funds for more than a year from the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. | The authors said that under the leadership of Mr Mbeki, the government had restricted use of donated anti-retroviral drugs and blocked funds for more than a year from the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. |
| 'Blood on his hands' | 'Blood on his hands' |
| To estimate the benefits they say were lost to South Africans because of the failure to provide appropriate drugs between 2000 and 2005, the researchers looked at a number of factors. | To estimate the benefits they say were lost to South Africans because of the failure to provide appropriate drugs between 2000 and 2005, the researchers looked at a number of factors. |
| These included: | These included: |
| • the number of patients who died without receiving treatment | |
| • the relative cost of the drugs and the resources available | |
| • comparative treatment programmes in Namibia and Botswana | |
| Zackie Achmat, who leads the Treatment Action Campaign, which successfully lobbied for the eventual reversal of government policy, claimed Mr Mbeki had "blood on his hands". | Zackie Achmat, who leads the Treatment Action Campaign, which successfully lobbied for the eventual reversal of government policy, claimed Mr Mbeki had "blood on his hands". |
| He told the BBC Mr Mbeki had ignored the scientific evidence and called for the former president to be summoned to a judicial inquiry or the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to explain his decisions. | He told the BBC Mr Mbeki had ignored the scientific evidence and called for the former president to be summoned to a judicial inquiry or the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to explain his decisions. |
| Since the former president was replaced in September 2008 a new Health Minister, Barbara Hogan, has been appointed and she has been praised by Aids campaigners for tackling the HIV issue with determination. | Since the former president was replaced in September 2008 a new Health Minister, Barbara Hogan, has been appointed and she has been praised by Aids campaigners for tackling the HIV issue with determination. |