29 November 2006
On Friday, 1 December 2006, South Africa will join the rest of the
international community in observing the World AIDS Day under the theme: "Stop
HIV and AIDS. Keep the promise."
World AIDS Day is a very important occasion in our daily struggle to prevent
the spread of HIV infection and reduce the impact of AIDS in our society. We
urge all South Africans to participate in the activities planned by government
and various other organisations to observe this day in various parts of the
country.
This day is of particular importance to us in the Department of Health
because there are at least two major processes that we are participating in to
enhance our country's response to HIV and AIDS. We have a process to revise the
Strategic Plan for HIV and AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). The
revised Strategic Plan for 2007-2011 will guide the country's response to HIV
and AIDS in a manner that ensures continuity of the current strategies, while
introducing additional interventions which are required to keep up with recent
advances in knowledge.
There is also a process to review the South African National AIDS Council
(SANAC) to ensure that this structure becomes a true expression of our
multi-sectoral response to HIV and AIDS. The Deputy President Phumzile
Mlambo-Ngcuka and my colleagues in the Inter-Ministerial Committee on HIV and
AIDS will elaborate on these processes at the national AIDS event that will be
held at KwaNyamazane Stadium in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, on Friday.
I will not be able to attend this event. However, I am looking forward to
participating in the further work that needs to be done from early next year to
ensure the success and sustainability of these two very important processes. In
line with the theme for this year, we are keeping our promise as the South
African Department of Health to increasing access to HIV and AIDS prevention,
care and treatment services.
Our prevention campaigns are being enhanced to strengthen the promotion of
abstinence and being faithful. More than 1,7 million people have used the
voluntary counselling and testing services available in 4 172 clinics in the
last financial year. More than 380 million condoms are being distributed
annually. Services to reduce the risk of mother to child transmission of HIV
are available in all hospitals and 86% of clinics.
In the area of treatment, care and support, our nutritional support
programme has benefited more than 480 000 people. Treatment of opportunistic
infections which is critical to the management of HIV and AIDS is available in
most hospitals and clinics. Free tuberculosis (TB) tests and treatment is
available at hospitals and clinics and TB is curable even in the presence of
HIV and AIDS.
Antiretroviral treatment (ART) is now available at 273 hospitals and clinics
spread across the country for patients with a CD4 count of 200 or below. An
average of 11 000 patients are joining the ART programme every month adding up
to 213 828 adults and children who have been put on the programme by end of
September 2006.
During this World AIDS Day, let us commit ourselves as the people of South
Africa to build on the advances made thus far in responding to HIV and AIDS. As
the Ministry and the Department of Health, we commit to intensifying our
efforts to ensure that all of us progressively realise the right of access to
all HIV and AIDS prevention, care and treatment services.
Issued by: Department of Health
29 November 2006
