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/AIDS and undermine the image of South
Africa's response to HIV/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/AIDS. The Plan makes available a number of
interventions to maintain optimal health of people living with HIV/AIDS as
there is still no cure for HIV/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. According to
the World Health Organisation, 80% of people in Africa use traditional
medicines for various conditions including those associated with HIV/AIDS. The
Plan thus 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 elements of the Plan.
Enquiries:
Sibani Mngadi
Cell: 082 772 0161
Issued by: Ministry of Health
8 September 2006
