Media statement

Letter to Editor of City Press

The Editor
City Press

Dear Sir

“Prof Ramjee is Simply the Best”

In response to your article titled “Concern over HIV trial researcher’s workload” of 11th February 2007, I, Mr. Sicelo Gumede, a staff member of the Medical Research Council’s HIV Prevention Research Unit would like to clarify the following facts which your reporter, Mr. Wonder Hlongwa strategically omitted.

1. Firstly, Prof Ramjee is not the Principal Investigator on the Cellulose Sulphate trial that was halted. Dr Roshini Govinden is the Principal Investigator.
2. Prof Ramjee is an internationally renowned and award-winning scientist. Her reputation as one of the best clinical trialists in the world demonstrates the confidence the major international funders and donors have for her work.
3. Prof Ramjee does not single-handedly conduct all the research trials undertaken by the MRC, but has a team of 300 staff engaged in clinical trials. To give you an analogy, you as Editor of the newspaper do not search for, research and write all articles. You have reporters that do this, and you then edit the stories and decide on what goes to print. Similarly, the HIV Prevention Research Unit (HPRU) is managed by a team of senior managers, scientists and clinical trialists along with 300 staff who implement and monitor these studies.
4. The insinuation that Prof Ramjee and the MRC “enjoy” millions of Rands in funding for these trials is defamatory. Neither Prof Ramjee nor the Medical Research Council gain any profit from conducting these trials. As with HIV vaccine trials which are sponsored by pharmaceutical companies, the MRC is contracted by funding organisations to test the products in clinical trials. The funding is strictly for expenses incurred in conducting the trials such as staff salaries, infrastructure costs associated with building and running clinics in the community, medical supplies, laboratory test costs and educational materials. The products being tested are not developed or patented by the MRC, and neither Prof Ramjee nor the MRC stand to gain any profit from future licensing and marketing of such products. In fact, the MRC has to sign off any conflict of interest regarding product patents.
5. The trials of vaginal microbicides in South Africa are not only undertaken by the MRC, but by scientists based at the African Centre for Population Studies, University of Cape Town, Limpopo and Wits.
6. The reason clinical trials are done in this country is because a) we need a product to be acceptable, affordable and safe for use by our own population, b) we have the highest rates of new HIV infections in the world, c) women in Sub-Saharan Africa are in desperate need for HIV prevention technologies that they can control.
7. The funding Prof Ramjee brings in has a huge economic and capacity building impact; a) a total of 300 staff are employed in the HPRU, of which 70% are black South Africans and 73% are women, b) science graduates are trained to lead and to become the best clinical trialists in Africa, c) many young black scientists like me, have had the opportunity to present at scientific conferences and meetings in London, New York, and Washington, as well as travelling to many countries in the African region such as Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia to work with our colleagues there. Many of us have had the opportunity to sit on an aeroplane for the first time in our lives.
8. Through her leadership, we are internationally recognised as the biggest clinical trials infrastructure in Africa, and we have put South Africa on the map by demonstrating that we can produce the best science in the world. As a South African, I am proud to be working for such an organisation.
9. Prof Ramjee has initiated care programmes for communities and her expert team has trained young women to become Peer Educators in the community. These women spread the messages of HIV prevention to men and women in the communities they live in. Community members have also been trained to become HIV counsellors.
10. Many community members, ethicists and regulatory body representatives were invited to attend the Microbicides Conference where they learned about research outcome and the science of microbicides.
11. Some community members have attended meetings in Washington, USA, to learn about community involvement in clinical trials.
12. Prof Ramjee regularly addresses communities in both urban and rural areas to update them on HIV/AIDS statistics in the community, and give them feedback on trials.
13. Prof Ramjee obtained funding to ensure care for HIV positive people. She works with hospitals to assist with employment of doctors, nurses and counsellors so that HIV positive people can be cared for.
14. With regards to clinical trial ethics, she is one of the highly respected ethical scientists where care and support of research participants is her highest priority.
15. Prof Ramjee has applied for accreditation from the Department of Health so that she can provide ARV treatment to those who need it, and work with the government to scale up treatment efforts.
16. The reimbursement provided to research participants is a requirement of the South African regulatory authorities, and not a decision by the MRC or the researchers. Women are reimbursed for their time, travel and refreshments.
17. In Mr. Wonder Hlongwa’s attempt to discredit Prof Ramjee and the MRC, he is disrespecting the hard work and dedication of 300 staff in the fight against the AIDS pandemic. This crusade appears to be fuelled by a personal vendetta against Prof Ramjee, and is inaccurate, insulting and defamatory.
18. The constant misreporting and distortion of the facts by Mr. Wonder Hlongwa fails to realise that without Prof Ramjee’s expertise and reputation, many of us will not have jobs and would not have the opportunity to travel, learn and develop as scientists and clinical trialists.
19. Last, but not least, without her work, we will be doing a disservice to the many millions of women in Africa who need scientists like Prof Ramjee to work tirelessly with the rest of the team at MRC until one day we find a product that will help prevent HIV infections among women.

Mr. Wonder Hlongwa in your crusade to damage the reputation of an internationally renowned and respected scientist that you have never met or interviewed, you are not only damaging us as the staff of HPRU, but you are being disrespectful to someone whom we regard as our mother, our mentor and our breadwinner. You have no idea of the kind of person Prof Ramjee is - she is simply the best.

Yours sincerely

Mr. Sicelo Gumede