Global World HIV and AIDS Alliance conference, University of Zululand
2 October 2007
Programme Director
MEC of Health
Mayor of Zululand Municipality
Rector and Vice chancellor of University of Zululand
Honoured guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Disparities across countries and among nationalities still exist and South
Africa is no exception. As a relatively new democracy the government is
committed to reducing these gaps and disparities which have a negative impact
in our society and provide a favourable environment for poverty related
diseases like HIV and AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) and malaria as well as
non-communicable diseases and cases of trauma and violence.
In responding to these challenges, we are committed to forming effective
partnerships amongst sectors, leaders and countries with a primary aim of
finding country specific solutions where local community attitudes, cultural
practices and knowledge are observed and respected. This approach is critical
and has to guide countries to craft appropriate multi-sectoral response to HIV
and AIDS.
The need to develop a broad spectrum of cross-cultural partnerships is
supported by the fact that the area between culture and HIV is under
researched. Countries need the involvement of universities to ensure that our
policies and programmes are based on credible research findings. Academics are
better placed to provide such support and their research should extend
socio-economic and cultural aspects of this challenge.
Universities have the capacity and infrastructure to research and build
capacity within and across their borders to ensure that we deal with challenges
of HIV and AIDS in a comprehensive and holistic manner while ensuring quality
and sustainable intervention in our communities. With the current complexities
in the spread and pathogenesis of HIV infection, no one can claim the monopoly
in understanding prevention, support, care and management of HIV and its
sequel. Universities therefore have to tailor their research capabilities to
accommodate this.
The challenge of data management, for instance, remains a gap when
monitoring implementation of programmes and their impact at various levels. The
Global HIV and AIDS Alliance has a potential of sharing best practices with
alliance members. As an alliance partner, we pride our selves with the progress
and involvement of the University of KwaZulu-Natal particularly in the area of
research in traditional medicine.
The challenge of improving health outcomes is felt by developed and
developing countries. There is commitment among African countries to work
towards achieving the Millenniums Development Goals (MDGs) and Global HIV and
AIDS Alliance of Universities needs to find its niche in this regard. There is
also a need to ensure that our development partners honour their commitment to
increase development assistance to support developing countries to meet these
goals. This assistance should be properly coordinated and provided in the true
spirit of partnership and respect for sovereignty of nations.
In the area of HIV and AIDS, our effort as Government of South Africa and
the Department of Health is aimed at intensifying prevention interventions and
provide quality care, support and all forms of treatment to all qualifying HIV
positive patients in an equitable manner. After about three years of
stabilisation, the annual survey of prevalence of HIV amongst pregnant women
attending public sector antenatal clinic has for the first time indicated that
there is decrease in the prevalence of HIV in the country. The 2006 antenatal
survey results show a decrease in the prevalence of HIV amongst pregnant women
from 30,2% in 2005 to 29,1% in 2006.
The survey indicates that this decline is mainly amongst people under the
age of 20 years followed by those between 20 and 24. The decline in the under
20s from 15,9 % in 2005 to 13,7% in 2006 in particular suggests a possible
reduction in number of new infections (incidence) in the population. These
findings require that we intensify our interventions and continue to work
towards our ultimate goal of a society that is free of HIV infection. As part
of these interventions, we have more than 4 000 sites that provide voluntary
counselling and testing and about 90% of public health facilities provide
services for Prevention of Mother-To-Child-Transmission of HIV. The guidelines
for the PMTCT programme are currently being reviewed in consultation with
stakeholders with the aim of improving the programme.
As you may know, we continue to provide free health services for pregnant
and lactating women, children under five years and people with disabilities.
Primary healthcare is free to everyone and no person is refused health care on
the basis that he or she cannot pay. People are being encouraged to adopt
healthy lifestyle including good nutrition to delay progress from HIV infection
to development of AIDS defining illnesses. For the first time in history, the
World Health Organisation (WHO) held a global meeting looking at the role of
nutrition in the response to HIV and AIDS and acknowledged the role of South
Africa in highlighting this element of the HIV and AIDS response by holding
this meeting in Durban.
Understanding our peculiar conditions as Africans, we are highlighting the
need for research and development of traditional medicine which, according to
the WHO, is used by almost 80% of people on our continent. The WHO Afro
regional director, Dr Louis Sambo, advised that and I quote: "Countries should
embrace traditional health practitioners as partners in the health system. The
proximity of these practitioners to the community makes them a reliable
resource to support families and individuals."
This is exactly what we are doing in South Africa with the recent milestone
being the passing of the Traditional Health Practitioners Act by our
Parliament. This Act allows for the establishment of a statutory council for
traditional health practitioners to regulate this practice. Programme Director,
treatment of opportunistic infections is available in almost every public
health facility. The cumulative total of patients who started anti-retroviral
(ARV) treatment was estimated at 300, 000 at the end of June 2007. A total of
342 facilities have been accredited to implement this treatment including 10
Correctional and seven South African National Defence Force (SANDF) centres and
more sites are being accredited to further expand access.
Lack of adequate health professionals still remains a key challenge in
expanding the number of sites. However, the department is implementing various
strategies to address the challenges of human resources for health by improving
the overall working conditions for health workers. We have increased the budget
for the Hospital Revitalisation Programme to R1,9 billion this year to finance
46 hospital revitalisation projects across the country. These projects are not
limited to improvement of the infrastructure, but they also include the supply
of necessary equipment and improvement of management capacity to ensure
efficient running of our hospitals. We believe that this programme has a
significant impact in improving working environment for health workers.
We are also reviewing remuneration packages for health workers. We have
already signed an agreement with health unions that should lead to nurses
receiving salary increases of between 20-88%. These salary adjustments are in
addition to the 7,5% salary adjustment agreed upon at the end of the public
service strike in June. Efforts are also underway to open nursing colleges at,
amongst others, Dora Nginza Campus in the Eastern Cape, Bona Lesedi at Leratong
Hospital and the Coronation Nursing College at the Chris Hani Baragwanath
-Gauteng province. Three new campuses were established at Madadeni, Prince
Mshiyeni and Port Shepstone for a four-year nursing diploma in KwaZulu-Natal
province.
There is a need to continuously improve the health system to ensure that it
is able to respond to the overall health care needs of our people. Part of this
effort is to ensure that private healthcare is affordable and accessible. There
is an urgent need to address inequities between the public and private sector.
The private sector spends about R66 billion to service about seven million
while the rest of our population depends on estimated R59 billion spent through
the public sector.
We have already had an engagement with all role-players in the private
health sector and the emerging view is that there is need for government to
play its regulatory role to curb the escalating cost in this sector. As
government, we are committed to play our stewardship role in responding to the
health challenges facing our country including the challenge of HIV and AIDS.
We are also committed to work with all partners because we believe that it is
only through partnership amongst various sectors and partners that we curb the
spread of HIV infection and reduce the impact of AIDS on our society.
Thank you
Issued by: Department of Health
2 October 2007
Source: Department of Health (http://www.doh.gov.za)
