DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

Beat It! 2002 Episode 12 - Special Report

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 18 - ARV treatment sites

In this weeks episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 we are talking about how the slow process of accrediting ARV treatment sites is causing problems for people accessing ARVs, we speak to James Nonnies about the death of his son Msimelelo due to poor access to ARVs, we also speak to HIV positive inmate Sifiso Zulu about accessing ARVs at Westville prison in Durban. Fatima Hassan from the Joint Civil Society Monitoring Forum joins our support group to talk about the problems facing sites wanting to become accredited.

Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 Episode 19 - Disseminated TB and HIV

This weeks episode of Siyayinqoba Beat It! 2006 we see how tuberculosis associated with HIV is South Africa's leading cause of death. We follow Busisiwe as she gets tested for disseminated TB, look at the links between TB and HIV and Dr Lindiwe Mvusi, Director of the Department Health National TB Programme, joins our support group to discuss any questions we may have regarding tuberculosis and how to make sure it is diagnosed correctly.

Access to ARVs, Westville Prison - Sifiso Zulu, Sipho Mthati, Zackie Achmat, the Treatment Action Campaign.

The TAC is joined by ex-Westville Prison inmates to talk about the problems facing HIV positive prisoners in accessing treatment. Sifiso talks about how you are not allowed to be tested for HIV unless you are bedridden and how inmates went on a hunger strike to attract attention to the plight of HIV positive inmates. Sipho Mthati talks about how what the Department of Correctional Services is doing is unconstitutional.

Barbara Hogan appointed as new Minister of Health.

President Motlanthe appointed Barbara Hogan to the position of Minister of Health. This move by the third democratically elected President of South Africa signalled that government's disastrous approach to HIV/AIDS had ended. Sadly over two million South Africans died of AIDS during the presidency of Thabo Mbeki and the tenure of Tshabalala-Msimang. At least 300,000 deaths could have been avoided had they merely met the most basic constitutional requirements.

Patient Abuse

Patient Abuse follows the events leading up to the formation of the Treatment Action Campaign and their struggles to access affordable quality treatment for all South Africans, by challenging the patent laws protecting the profits of multinational drug companies. Patient Abuse tells of how the Treatment Action Campaign grew from a handful of people on the steps of St Georges Cathedral to an organisation of thousands with support from activists around the globe. In April of 2001 the TAC was victorious when the PMA withdrew it's case.

Media, Method, Message

Media, Method, Message follows the story of Beat It! the worlds first HIV/AIDS magazine programme. Narrated by the shows co-creator and director Jack Lewis, we see how Beat It! worked towards removing the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS and addressed the concerns of real people living with AIDS through documentary inserts and an in studio HIV+ support group.