Washington (SmartAboutHealth) - Researchers from Harvard University have confirmed that policies set in South Africa on AIDS attributed to the premature deaths of 365,000 people.

Researchers have stated that the inability for AIDS patients to get anti-retroviral drugs caused hundreds of thousands to die prematurely.

The study focused on the policies of Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, who was president from 1999 to 2008.

The policies were compared to those set in Namibia and Botswana.

Mbeki was always criticized as he did not believe there were any drugs to help people with AIDS.

In South Africa, 5.5 million of the 47 million people have HIV.

From 2000 to 2005, it is believed his policies led to 365,000 early deaths, including deaths of 35,000 infants.

The study was published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndroms.