8 September 2006
The Ministry of Health welcomes the intervention by Cabinet to address the
challenge of a campaign to deliberately misrepresent the Comprehensive Plan for
management, care and treatment of HIV and AIDS and undermine the image of South
Africa's response to HIV and AIDS both locally and abroad.
The Minister of Health re-affirms her commitment to lead the Department of
Health's efforts to rigorously implement all the elements of the Comprehensive
Plan as developed by the Department of Health and adopted by Cabinet in
November 2003. The Comprehensive Plan emphasises prevention as the central
element of the response to HIV and AIDS. The Plan makes available a number of
interventions to maintain optimal health of people living with HIV and AIDS as
there is still no cure for HIV and AIDS.
It emphasises the need to prolong progression from HIV infection to
development of AIDS defining conditions through adoption of healthy lifestyles.
This includes promoting good nutrition and regular physical activity and
discouraging health risk behaviour such as smoking, alcohol abuse and unsafe
sexual practices.
Treatment is provided to deal with any opportunistic infection. Because,
according to the World Health Organisation, 80% of people in Africa use
traditional medicines for various conditions including those associated with
HIV and AIDS, the plan recognises the role of traditional medicine and promotes
research and development of these medicines.
The plan makes antiretroviral drugs available to people whose CD4 count has
depreciated to 200 and less. Under the leadership of the Minister of Health,
the Department of Health will intensify its efforts to ensure that everyone
progressively realises the right of access to all the elements of the plan.
Enquiries:
Sibani Mngadi
Cell: 082 772 0161
Issued by: Ministry of Health
8 September 2006
Source: Department of Health (http://www.doh.gov.za)
