Member of Parliament Barbara Hogan has been appointed South Africa's new health minister by the country's interim President Kgalema Motlanthe.
Hogan previously was chair of the influential finance portfolio committee.

The previous health minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, has been appointed to a position in the office of the president. Hogan's appointment "suggested a stark shift in South Africa's AIDS policy and was seen as a sign that Motlanthe would pursue his own course."

Hogan's first comments after her appointment indicated that HIV and tuberculosis will be her priorities. "I think the biggest challenge is HIV/AIDS and all the strains that it places on the health system," Hogan said.

The Treatment Action Campaign praised Hogan as having "a reputation for being hard-working, competent and principled," adding that she had been one of the few members of parliament to address HIV/AIDS during the tenure of former President Thabo Mbeki, who resigned on Thursday. Hogan said that she was "deeply touched" by the reaction from HIV/AIDS advocates to her appointment.

Source: Kaiser 30 September 2008