16 January 2007
I am glad to be back at work as we begin this year which promises to be yet
another challenging and exciting year in our effort to improve the lives of the
people of South Africa.
You may be aware that I have already restarted my duty both in government
and in my organisation, the African National Congress (ANC). This is after my
admission at Johannesburg Hospital in October last year which was subsequently
followed by a sick leave and then the December holidays which made it look like
it was a long period.
I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all those who
supported me when I took ill. It is very encouraging to know that so many
people care about my health.
I have already had initial interaction with the management of the Department
to ensure that we have a common understanding of the key issues we need to
focus on this year. We will be able to elaborate on these priority areas after
the State of the Nation Address by our President.
For now it is clear that we have to intensify our efforts to make health
more affordable and accessible to all. In particular, we have to find a way to
resolve the challenge we are facing with regard to reducing the prices of
medicines.
Another major priority area is the strengthening of the health system which
is central to our endeavour to address the many health problems and enable the
Department to effectively deal with the pressures of the disease burden that
confront the people of South Africa.
Of critical importance in strengthening the health system is the issue of
human resources for health. We are encouraged by reports that many nurses that
left the country to look for greener pastures are coming back into the country.
This is as a result of various engagements we have had on this issue including
the agreement we signed with United Kingdom covering the recruitment of health
workers.
Since this agreement was signed in 2003, the number of South Africans
registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council in UK has decreased by more
than 55% from 2 114 in 2002 to 933 in 2005.
We hope that the improvements we are making in our facilities through the
Hospital Revitalisation Programme and the work being done to review the
salaries for health workers will attract even more health professionals into
the public health sector.
Improving the capacity of the health system will enable us to scale up of
the efforts against:
* infectious diseases including tuberculosis (TB) and HIV and AIDS
* non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, various types of cancer and
cardio-vascular diseases
* as well as reduce the levels of trauma and violence in our society.
Improved health system will also reduce the waiting times and clear the
backlogs for all patient care. This will enhance the quality of care and
enhance patient satisfaction.
With regard to HIV and AIDS in particular, Cabinet revived the
Inter-Ministerial Committee. This is a structure that had long existed and led
by the Deputy President who is also the Chairperson of the South African
National AIDS Council (SANAC). The Inter-Ministerial Committee has been at the
forefront of two major processes which are:
* the restructuring of SANAC
* and the review of the Strategic Plan for HIV and AIDS.
When all these developments were announced by Cabinet last year, I issued a
statement expressing my full support for the initiative. As we begin the year,
I am looking forward to participating in the finalisation of these two
processes.
I believe that partnership with all stakeholders is crucial in the success
of these processes and in our overall efforts to stop the spread of HIV
infection and reduce the impact of AIDS in our society. It is for this reason
that my very first statement this year (issued last week 11 January) has been
to urge Non-Government Organisations that may require financial support to
apply to the Department of Health for funding before 18 January.
As mentioned earlier, we will elaborate on the programme of the Department
of Health after the State of the Nation Address and I hope we will have an
opportunity at that time to discuss with the media the areas that we will be
focusing on as the Department for this year.
Thank you.
Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang
Minister of Health
For further information, please contact:
Sibani Mngadi
Cell: 082 772 0161
Issued by: Department of Health
16 January 2007
