23 March 2006
The Minister of Health, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, met with the MECs for
Health (National Health Council) to discuss various health issues in Pretoria
today.
The National Health Council (NHC) called on all South Africans to support
the World TB Day that will be observed tomorrow. The main event will be at King
George Hospital in Durban where Minister Tshabalala-Msimang will launch the
country's TB Crisis Management Plan.
The NHC also hosted and bid farewell to the former MEC for Health in Gauteng
and now the Mayor of Tshwane, Dr Gwen Ramokgopa. The NHC also welcomed the
appointment of Mr Brian Hlongwa as the new MEC for Health in Gauteng.
The NHC reviewed the expenditure of health budget, particularly conditional
grants channelled through the national department to provincial departments of
Health. The expenditure on the conditional grant on HIV and AIDS is running
smoothly with more than 90% of the R1,1 billion already spent by last
month.
The meeting raised concern about the trends in the expenditure on the
Hospital Revitalisation programme in some provinces. There is a need for better
co-ordination with Public Works to speed up approval and implementation of
capital projects.
The meeting discussed the role of retired nurses in continuing to assist in
the delivery of health services. The meeting agreed that these nurses still
have a critical role to play and agreed that the national Health Department
should provide guidelines on how these skills can be utilised in various
provinces.
The meeting noted progress that is being made in negotiating the draft
Charter for the Health Sector. The Charter is being negotiated by
representatives of at least eight constituencies in the health sector.
The draft Charter is being redrafted to incorporate the agreements reached
during the negotiations. The revised draft Charter will be considered by the
negotiating team next month with the aim of taking it to various constituencies
and stakeholders for mandates.
The NHC also received a presentation from the Embassy of the United States
of America on the implementation of the Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief (Pepfar) in South Africa.
Pepfar was launched in 2004 with the allocation of US$15 billion for a
five-year response to HIV and AIDS in 15 countries including South Africa. It
was reported that at least 300 organisations or institutions are funded by
Pepfar in South Africa.
The NHC emphasised that donor funding including Pepfar should be aligned
with the national priorities in South Africa. Treatment protocols should be
aligned to prevent development of resistance and other treatment
difficulties.
Some of the challenges raised about the programme include cash flow
difficulties that may lead to interruption of treatment and sustainability of
the Pepfar funded project post the five-year lifespan of the programme.
It was agreed that there should be further engagement between the Department
of Health and US Government to ensure protection of the interest of
patients
Enquiries:
Contact
Sibani Mngadi
Cell: 08 277 20161
Issued by: Department of Health
23 March 2006
