Johannesburg - The South African government has no intention of buying the anti-retroviral drugs that can keep people with HIV/AIDS alive, in spite of its courtroom victory over the pharmaceutical companies trying to block the import of cheap medicines, according to its health minister.
In an interview with the Guardian, Ms Manto Tshabalala-Msimang says her government intends to resist pressure from local and foreign AIDS activists to buy anti-retroviral treatment for the 4.2 million with HIV in South Africa, on the basis that the cost is still too high and that the country lacks the clinics and trained health workers to distribute the drugs safely.