[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"404775","attributes":{"class":"media-image","id":"2","style":"margin-left: 3px; margin-right: 3px; float: left;;;","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]You cannot put a price on good health; a quality and productive life is invaluable. With this in mind, government has prioritised longer, healthier lives for all South Africans.
President Jacob Zuma once summarised the importance of a healthy nation stating: “Increased life expectancy is a key to the country’s development. People are returning to work, they are being productive, economically and socially. The family structure is increasingly stable and parents live longer and are able to take care of their children.”
Our journey to provide quality healthcare to all has not always been an easy one. In 1994 government inherited a fragmented public health service which had for decades provided an inferior service to the majority of our people. At the dawn of democracy government had to transform the public health system into an integrated, comprehensive national service, driven by the need to redress historical inequalities and provide essential healthcare to previously disadvantaged people.
Twenty years into freedom our public healthcare has been transformed and remarkable strides have been made. Our life expectancy has increased from 52.7 years in 2002 to 59.6 years in 2013. We now have more than 2.4 million South Africans on antiretroviral treatment. Furthermore, our HIV, TB, malaria, immunisation and maternal health strategies are showing positive results.
In May when our fifth administration took office, government committed to improve access to quality healthcare even further. Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi characteristically rose to the occasion and only after a few months we have witnessed remarkable progress, which bears testament to the fact that we are determined to improve and maintain the health of our nation.
Top of the accomplishments was the opening of two new hospitals. The first was the state-of-the-art Natalspruit hospital with 821-beds which relocated from its old premises in Katlehong to Vosloorus.
Another major milestone was the opening of the high-tech 300 bed Harry Surtie Hospital in Upington, Northern Cape which will bring specialised medical services closer to surrounding communities.
Sixty-three year old Sonia Lephepha emphasised this, saying it had been her long term wish to have a hospital closer to her. “My husband and I are aging, and travelling to the hospital is already a problem. So I am happy because I just take one taxi from my house to this new hospital,” she said.
Over the next five years more is to come as plans are in place to build an additional 43 hospitals and 213 clinics to meet the needs of the National Health Insurance system.
Another highlight during the past few months was the launch of the MomConnect. This service registers pregnant women for an SMS service to provide them with information at appropriate stages of their pregnancy.
Minister Motsoaledi believes that MomConnect will greatly contribute towards healthy pregnancies and babies. “Even after the birth of the baby, we will continue to send messages for the period of one year. The messages will include advice on the baby, this is what you must do, this is what the baby must get (vaccines),” he said.
To further ensure the health of women, the Department of Health is currently administrating the second dose of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccine to 345 377 Grade 4 girls. This programme will over the long-term contribute to the decline of cervical cancer which is mostly associated with HPV.
In another bold step, Minister Motsoaledi announced that his department is currently putting plans in place to transfer all HIV positive pregnant women from the current option B to the World Health Organisation’s option B+.
“Option B+ simply means every pregnant HIV positive woman goes on lifelong treatment, regardless of their CD4 status; whereas option B is that they stay on treatment only while breastfeeding and stop after termination of breastfeeding if their CD4 count is >350,” he said.
This will be implemented from January 2015 along with starting all HIV positive patients on treatment with a CD4 count of <500, as opposed to the present CD4 count of <350.
By any measure the past few months have seen some remarkable achievements. However, there is no time to rest on our laurels if the Department of Health is to meet its five year targets.
Through the Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) 2014-2019, the department is committed to doubling the number of people on antiretroviral treatment, intensifying TB screening and treatment, increasing life expectancy to 63 years and significantly decreasing child and maternal mortality rates.
Over the next five years we will pull out all the stops and work towards ensuring longer, healthier lives for all South Africans. However, all of us have the responsibility to take care of our bodies by following a healthy diet, exercising regularly, practising safer sex and getting tested for HIV, and vaccinating our children. Let’s all work together to ensure that we become a healthy nation.
Faith Muthambi is Minister of Communications
