Rules flouted for Rath?

Last updated: Monday, July 10, 2006 Print

The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) called for the suspension of the director general of health on Monday after he reportedly allowed the release of a consignment of unregistered food supplements from the Rath Foundation.

Port authorities did not want to release these.

"The Director-General of Health appears to have exceeded his authority and broken the law by stopping Port Health officials from carrying out their duty," a TAC statement said.

Public health undermined
"Mr [Thami] Mseleku has undermined the country's legal framework established to protect public health."

Rath advocates the use of natural remedies to control HIV/Aids. He has been accused of making people suspicious of antiretrovirals and of encouraging people to switch to his treatment recommendations.

The TAC continued: "Since the AIDS epidemic began, people with HIV/Aids have been vulnerable to unscrupulous activities aimed at exploiting them. Mr Mseleku's actions make it easier for these unscrupulous activities to continue unabated. It begs the question as to whether government has a real commitment to ending discrimination against people with HIV and protecting our health. This is a scandal."

Shares concerns with Sama
They joined the SA Medical Association's (Sama) earlier call for an investigation into Thami Mseleku's release of the food supplements.

"It is alleged that the [director-general, Thami Mseleku] directly facilitated the entry of these compounds into the country in direct violation of existing laws and regulations," said Sama.

"Laws and regulations governing medicines are there for the sole purpose of protecting the public from unscrupulous merchants of untested and potentially harmful substances. Mseleku and the health ministry has the stewardship of this responsibility, and of concern is that this position has been violated."

Sama also believed that the public's trust in the system ensuring medicine safety had been compromised.

Did not comply with regulations
According to the Mail and Guardian, Port Health, which is tasked with vetting medicine coming into South Africa, would not release a consignment of two pallets of about 5 000 tablets from Rath described as "food supplements", because it did not comply with regulations.

They were found to contain a schedule two substance, N-acetylcysteine. Unlike food supplements, these need to be registered with the Medicines Control Council (MCC) and may only be dispensed by a doctor or pharmacist.

Rath's tablets were not registered with the MCC, officials told the newspaper.

Department spokesman Sibani Mngadi told the newspaper that the consignment was released on the department's instruction after legal correspondence was received from the Rath Foundation, requesting it to be released under the care of a pharmacist.

Mngadi did not confirm Mseleku's personal role.

The consignment was released into the care of a Rath Foundation pharmacist, it was reported.

On Monday the health department wanted to study the TAC and Sama statements first before commenting. – (Sapa)

July 2006