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HIV treatment
More people living with HIV/AIDS are getting the life-saving drugs they need thanks to campaigners who have successfully challenged the monopolies of powerful drug companies over patented drugs and pressed for governments to ensure treatment is available to all.
One example is the Treatment Action Campaign in South Africa which began in 1998. The campaign put political pressure on the South African government to make HIV treatment available to all, using court cases, civil disobedience and international solidarity. Campaign leader Zackie Ahmat pledged that he would not take anti-retroviral medicines until all South Africans could access them.
The campaign took the government to court over the constitutional right of citizens to healthcare, but supported the government when pharmaceutical companies in turn took it to court.
As a result of campaigning, access to treatment is now a government policy. The ongoing challenge is making this a reality.
