Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is my honour to address you and personally thank you for all the good intentioned initiatives that you have come up with aimed at the improvement of delivery of sexual and reproductive health services for the people of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in particular. As our valued partners we want you to know that our Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi and our Hon Premier Dr Zweli Mkhize are highly appreciative of the quest to refurbish the KZN Children’s Hospital in Addington that you have initiated and fund-raised for. Our leaders are very excited that the proposed new facilities will include paediatric outpatient clinics, short stay wards, training facilities, relative’s accommodation, research facilities and counselling centres. We are also excited the landmark and heritage of our beachfront will be restored as you revive the old Children’s Hospital, administration block, outpatients building and Old Nurse’s Homes. In this venture the people of KZN are assured of all round services that include specialised chronic and preventative care clinics, social and welfare services, nutrition support, community outreach, support services, psychological/counselling services, research and development and a training and development centre. We thank you again for this far sighted initiative that is bound to offer best practice model that can be replicated within other provincial sites and nationally.
You have also been a firm rock in providing expertise and material that has seen this Province succeeding in initiating and carrying out Medical Male Circumcision (MMC). We could not have achieved the progress made of circumcising 23 714 males by December 2010 if it were not for your involvement in the following:
- Training of healthcare workers on MMC
- Provision of human resource personnel in the form of doctors; nurses; data capturers and clerks
- Surgical sundries that entailed circumcision kits and drugs;
- Other relevant equipment such as diathermies and extension cords
- Catering for staff at the camps
We know that as committed partners you will also be with us when we roll out the neonatal medical male circumcision which we aim to commence with once all the relevant and necessary preparations are in place. Please do not tire to receive and consider our endless requests for assistance as our financial bowls are always empty. We herein again wish to convey our request for your further involvement in contributing to the payment of stipends for MMC Coordinators that will be selected by Traditional leaders in their areas of jurisdiction intended to mobilise and popularise the MMC programme.
Dear colleagues I must say that working with you in this MMC initiative we have succeeded in making our Majesty the King and our Premier, Dr Zweli Mkhize very proud and given them and the KZN populace hope that the spread of HIV and AIDS can eventually be halted. Thank you.
We also know that you are involved in many projects that support our programmes particularly in the eThekwini District where you assist with the rollout of antiretrovirals (ARVs) for all groups through the Roving teams of doctors, nurses and pharmacist that you provide. We also appreciate your participation in our HCT campaign through the provision of counsellors; your involvement again in tuberculosis (TB) intensified case finding programme; your Helly Stotts Clinic initiative of prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) as well as the training that you provide in general.
We also place high value on the support you give to the eThekwini District particularly on systems strengthening measures in the form of infrastructure and equipment as evidenced by the park homes you have provided at Umbumbulu, Cato Manor, Helly Stotts, Q and K sections clinics at Umlazi.
Thank you for your tireless work with us in a number of programmes. Working together we will achieve great things. We now can report progress as we can see that half a million people are alive today because of our treatment programme. Infection rates are steadily dropping since 2005 where the HIV prevalence rate among pregnant women was 40, 7%. We are all optimistic about the future; our people’s lives have been given a shot in the arm of hope. We are very thankful to have you as partners; our association has covered the critical tenets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Goals that we have to meet as a country. At this juncture I consider it wise to alert you on the KZN Health Department’s Priority interventions as determined by our KZN strategic plan 2010 – 2014 of which I will request continued support:
A. Maternal Health
- We are committed to MDG 5 whose outcome is to reduce the maternal mortality ratio to 100 per 100 000 or less.
- Here we aim to improve the ante-natal clinic (ANC) visits before 20 weeks from 30.5 to 90% by 2014/15.
- We aim to ensure that all pregnant women with CD4 count of less than 350 or those that have symptoms are put on ART so as to reduce mother to child transmission.
- Aiming at improving the referral and transport by introducing dedicated or specialised ambulances for maternity and paediatric care
- Establishing maternity waiting homes in rural areas where there are challenges with emergency transport
- We are working towards increasing access to safe delivery through the establishment of basic emergency obstetric care in key strategic areas,
- Improving staff competency and skills and quality of clinical care through the introduction of mentorship teams,
- Increasing the % of mothers and babies who receive post partum care within 6 days after delivery to 80% by 2014/ 15.
B. Child Health
- Here we are committed to MDG Goal 4 whose outcome is to reduce the infant mortality rate to 20/ 1000 live births
- We are aiming at ensuring that there is a functional neonatal resuscitation unit in each labour ward and nursery in this Province
- We are also aiming at establishing a neonatal experiential learning site in each area that will support and capacitate neonatal services in designated hospitals
- Also to ensure the availability of functional high care beds in each nursery in the Province.
- Increase the immunisation coverage under 1 year from 85% to 90% in all Districts by 2014/15
- Increase the measles coverage under 1 year from 88% to 90% in all Districts by 2014/15
- Increase the Vitamin A coverage under I year from 94.2% to 95% in all Districts by 2014/15.
Colleagues, we are committed to the attainment of all the above being guided by the Provincial Priorities in our 2010 – 2014 Strategic Plan that clearly specifying what needs to be done:
- Revitalisation of primary healthcare services aiming at improving equity, access, affordability, efficiency, continuity of care, responsive to health care needs with full community participation.
- Improvement of efficiency and quality of health services through the implementation of National Core Standards for Quality at all levels
- Scaling up the implementation of the National Strategic Plan for HIV and AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infection (STIs) with emphasis of on the policy changes announced by the President on 1 December 2009.
- Scaling up the implementation of the TB Crisis Plan with special emphasis on integration of services and community management of multi-drug resistent (MDR) TB
Scaling up the implementation of the 5 year Strategic Plan for Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Women’s Health and Nutrition. For this one, we do not have any other partner except you!
Let us continue working together in order to re-establish the long held norm and understanding that pregnancy and childbirth is a time of joy, thanksgiving and celebration for families and communities. Let the outcomes of this workshop succeed in instilling more hope in the majority of people in South Africa – every life counts.
I thank you.
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Health
