NZ doctor accused of illegally distributing Aids drugs

A New Zealand doctor in Zimbabwe has been arrested and charged with allegedly distributing Aids drugs from an illegal clinic.

Reid Andrew John Cheyne, 49, was among six health workers arrested in Harare on Friday on charges of dispensing medicines at unlicensed premises and doing so without the supervision of a pharmacist.

The group, which denies the charges, comprises Cheyne, a Zimbabwean doctor, and two nurses, a doctor and a community volunteer from a California-based Christian volunteer group.

Cheyne, who works for the University of Zimbabwe health department, is a long-time resident of Zimbabwe.

The health workers appeared in court yesterday, where they were ordered to surrender their passports.

They were released on US$200 ($270) bail.

Their lawyer, Jonathan Samkange, said they faced a fine if found guilty.

"I am embarrassed that the state has decided to charge them. They were not distributing any drugs," he said.

His clients were working for a charity called Mother of Peace, which caters for Aids orphans, Mr Samkange said.

The US embassy said the Californian groups' volunteer work has stretched over a decade, with the church working at a Harare clinic and another in Mutoko, about 100km northeast of the capital.

Zimbabwe has one of the highest HIV rates in the world and the destruction of its public health system during a decade of economic crisis has left it largely dependent on donor organisations and church-based institutions for essential health services.

- NZPA and Agencies