According to South American Department of Health, since the virus HIV/AIDS emerged in the 80s the South African government has been trying to deal with the epidemy. In 1997 the Inter-Ministerial Committee on AIDS was created to give a response to the epidemic in different departments. The problem was that until de the 2000s the government refused to provide free AZT for people.
In the 2000s the Committee was replaced by the National AIDS Council, this council changed the fight against the virus, it launched programmes including health, education and social departments, the Council aimed to reduce new infections and reduce the impact of the virus in individuals.
The government passed a law to allow domestic production of a cheaper generic brand of AZT, this made the treatment cheaper, the South African Supreme Court ordered the government to provide AZT to pregnant women. But despite that, the medicine was not heavily distributed.
Later, there was the National Strategic Plan of 2007-2011 was created. It aimed to cover all HIV positive mothers with treatment. This Plan was successful, it covered 95% of mothers by 2010.
Despite that program, by 2010 only 55% of all people were receiving treatment and only 36% of children that were eligible to the treatment were receiving it.
With all this information, it is noticeable that the South African Government has done little to stop the spread of the virus, despite efforts public plans have not reached people the way it should.
