Madam Speaker
Honourable Premier – Dr Zweli Mkhize, Gubhela
Chairperson & Members of the KwaZulu-Natal Portfolio
Committee on Health
Fellow Members of the Executive Council
Honourable Members of the Legislature
Mayors, Councillors and Amakhosi
Chairperson & Members of the Provincial AIDS Council
The Head of the Department of Health – Dr Sibongile Zungu
Senior Managers in the Department of Health
Health workers across the length and breadth of the Province
Distinguished guests
People of KwaZulu-Natal
Ladies and gentlemen
“Imisebenzi kaHulumeni iyabonakala”
Today, as I deliver the Department of Health Vote 7 Budget Policy Statement, I feel extremely proud yet humbled as I recall the words of Mr Michael Sidibé, UNAIDS Executive Director, when, at the UNAIDS/CAPRISA Symposium on 3 June 2013, in Durban, he said, “Political and traditional leadership have been brought together with scientific evidence to advance progress towards the end of the AIDS epidemic. This has resulted in a significant shift in KwaZulu-Natal’s AIDS response over the last few years….”.
Equally humbling are the words of our Premier, when in the 2013 State of the Province Address, he said, “For the first time in recent history, HIV and AIDS are showing signs of retreat. The number of AIDS-related deaths is declining. Since we took office in 2009, we have stabilised HIV prevalence in our Province from 39.5% to 37.4%, as a direct result of our integrated approach through the Provincial Council on AIDS working together with all sectors of our society to ensure that our initiatives on prevention and to make anti-retroviral treatment available, are successful.
Utilising a special roving team of dedicated health professionals to initiate therapy to all 550 000 deserving individuals, we can now declare that for a few years now, the waiting list for anti-retroviral treatment no longer exists. It has been cleared for good.”
Madam Speaker, a statement like this can only be made because it is supported by facts and findings of scientific studies and research and the effects of implemented strategies. Yes indeed, we have seen a turnaround in the HIV and AIDS pandemic. Whereas prior to 1997, none of our health institutions had ever operated in the midst of the biggest and most devastating pandemic in human history – HIV and AIDS – by the year 2000 the reality of what we were dealing with hit us hard and we knew that this could not be wished away.
The Province had launched AIDS Challenge 2000, which could be regarded as the embryo that led to the birth of our invigorated and robust fight against this pandemic which took us through many dark and challenging periods undeterred and today we can say with pride that “we have turned the corner – Imisebenzi Kahulumeni Iyabonakala!”. We say this with confidence because we have seen a reduction in HIV prevalence amongst pregnant women decrease from 39.5% in 2009 to 37.4% in 2011 (Ante-Natal Survey). Alongside this our efforts in preventing mother to child transmission reduced from 19% in 2007 to 2.1% by July 2012 (MRC Study: 2011).
Now Madam Speaker and Members of the House, these results are a true testament that the health outcomes for our Province are improving. Setting the platform and walking with us during the past several years and prior are a band of highly committed health care workers, who take the vision and mission of the Department of Health seriously and who have come to understand the importance of the service delivery and have worked tirelessly under the leadership of the HOD for Health, Dr S M Zungu and the senior management team and to them I say, Thank You.
Full speech [PDF]
