Local mayor
Councillors
Traditional leaders
Traditional healers
AIDS Activists
Government officials
Ladies and gentlemen
We meet here today, at Sekororo Show Grounds, Maruleng, to talk about Sexually Transmitted Infections, the STIs and encourage people to use condoms, in case they cannot abstain nor be faithful. Of high concern amongst the STIs in the country is the HIV infection, thus we chose to come and celebrate this in Mopani District because this district has recorded 25.2 percent in the 2008 survey of HIV prevalence among antenatal women, which makes it the district with the most infections in Limpopo province.
As Limpopo Province we have experienced a stabilizing HIV prevalence among antenatal women since 2006 till 2008, recording 20.6 percent, 20.4 percent, and 20.7 percent. While the provincial HIV prevalence among antenatal women is the third lowest in the country, we are however concerned that when we thought the stabilisation will be followed by a decrease, we are instead experiencing an increase. What is more worrying is that statistics are indicating that almost 40 percent of young people in the age group of 25-34 are said to be HIV infected. Since this age group is the most productive, economically and otherwise, it means our society is heading for a widened generation gap.
Program Director, our communities are already experiencing this generation gap, children are left to assume parental responsibilities as they grabble with the challenges of losing both parents and have to care for their younger siblings. Furthermore grandmothers and grandfathers are called on to foster their grandchildren.
As government we are of the conviction that, irrespective of the high infection rate and its dire consequences thereof, we can turn the tide against this pandemic if we all pledge ourselves to this year’s STI /
Condom Week Theme: “I am responsible, we are Responsible, South Africa is taking Responsibility.”
We base our hope and fight against HIV and AIDS on taking responsibility because believe that every effort should start with every one of us knowing his/her status. We urge young people to take HIV tests and live positively and responsibly by delaying having sex for the first time. This positive lifestyle will help you make informed choices in the future and prevent unwanted pregnancies and HIV infection.
Thus we call our teachers and parents to incorporate this message in the school education and family upbringing on daily basis because as we visit schools we are told that amongst the problems confronting education is teenage pregnancy.
Let us teach young people the basics of HIV and AIDS prevention. Let us motivate our children to abstain from sex activities. Let us remind young couples to be faithful to their spouses and encourage those that choose to have sex early and unreliably, to use condoms at all times.
Our call for taking responsibility in knowing our individual HIV status also goes to the pregnant women. We encourage all pregnant women to test for HIV immediately they discover that they are pregnant. We urge all Tuberculosis (TB) patients to test for HIV, and equally we encourage those that are leaving with HIV to test for TB. These efforts will help you to access government health care and get the right treatment.
The challenges of HIV and AIDS need joint efforts between partners. Couples need to talk about their relationships openly and honestly, test for HIV together and be faithful to each other and always use condoms. It is not necessarily the responsibility of only women to test for HIV when they are pregnant, in fact men should take HIV test jointly with their pregnant partners. Thus we call upon men, women and families to support pregnant women so that they can protect their children from HIV. HIV positive mothers should not be subjected to stigmatisation, discrimination and abuse by their partners and families.
Let us mobilise our communities around community based organisations and family clubs to provide care and support to the infected and affected by HIV including orphans and vulnerable children. We cannot afford a society that abuses women simply because they are HIV positive or their partners have died of AIDS related complications. We cannot afford a society where children become parents of their younger siblings.
We need to take action and speak out against violence against women and children. We need to stop stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV. We need to adopt orphaned children and bring them up in a normal family environment.
Our government, under the leadership of President Jacob Zuma, has identified health as one of its priorities and has since committed to improve the health profile of our society by among others “Implementation of the Comprehensive Plan for the Treatment, Management and Care of HIV and AIDS so as to reduce the HIV incidence rate by 50 percent by the year 2011 and ensuring that the target of reaching 80 percent of those in need of ARV treatment by 2011 is achieved.”
Indeed South Africa is taking responsibility. We have since revived and strengthened the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) by ensuring that all sectors are not just represented, but most importantly, that their voice is heard. It is through this collective effort that we believe we will complement individual responsibility of every South African to prevent HIV infections by taking an HIV test and knowing his/her status.
Government, led by the ruling party, the African National Congress, is taking responsibility. We are ensuring that:
* Pregnant women can access prevention of mother to child transmission services
* All those with TB can access TB drugs, and
* All HIV positive people can access antiretroviral (ARV) treatment.
In the province, this commitment has been confirmed by Premier Cassel Mathale yesterday during his State of the Province Address when he accounted that, “To date we have been able to provide antiretroviral drugs to HIV and AIDS sufferers at the approved sites despite resource constraints. It is however, important to mention that in this financial year 2010/11, we are going to increase the number of sites approved to offer the Antiretroviral Drugs.”
Program Director, the provincial government has already made progress in this regard. All facilities with antenatal services have recorded an increased number of pregnant women taking HIV tests, resulting in an increased number of pregnant women receiving ARVs prophylaxis at our government primary health care facilities. This has also contributed in the reduced number of HIV exposed babies testing HIV positive, 13,5 percent from 18 percent in 2008/09. The key element in our strategic intervention to reduce STIs and HIV infections is prevention, and condoms are one of our main prevention tools. In Limpopo Province alone, the new administration from April 2009 to December 2009, has distributed more than 16 million male condoms and 277 696 female condoms.
During the same period, our primary health care centres have since treated 118 454 STI new episode and treated 24 522 partners after issuing 108 836 partner slips. This clearly shows that while government is making all efforts to prevent and treat STIs, there is a need for individuals, especially partners, to come forward and avail themselves for partners’ treatment.
In Limpopo we take the responsibility of treatment and provision of antiretroviral drugs to HIV and AIDS sufferers very serious. The province has 66-sites accredited to provide Antiretroviral Drugs and there are currently 59 307 patients receiving treatment, 40 037 of them are females and 4 013 are children.
Our care and support programme consists of 6447 home based carers and 378 Non-Profit Organisations have received government funding in this regard. In Mopani District alone, there are 1 378 home based carers, the third highest in the province, and 54 organisations in this district are receiving funding to coordinate HCBC program.
Ladies and gentlemen, in this spirit of working together with our people to care and support more people living with HIV and AIDS, we have established partnerships with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and trained 818 Lay Counsellors in the province. In Mopani District we have funded three NGOs providing lay counsellor program and trained 188
Lay Counsellors, the highest number in the province. Through this program and other campaigns by government agencies, the Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centres in the province has counselled 381 592 clients during April to December 2009 period, 318 348 of these clients took an HIV Test and 18.26 NGOs (58 124) tested positive.
Our intervention strategy is also focused on identifying high transmission areas, and in this program we are funding six organisations, one organisation in each district but two organisations in Mopani. This program has 410 peer counsellors and 30 of them are found in Mopani, while the majority of them, 290, are in Vhembe, which is a national government program.
In an effort to fight stigma and discrimination, but most importantly to support people living with HIV, we are funding eight organisations of people living with HIV (PLHIV), three of these organisations are based in Mopani District area. This program empowers people living with HIV to develop self-acceptance and gather enough courage to disclose their status. The PLHIV organisations mobilise HIV positive people to attend support groups and learn more about HIV and AIDS.
We call upon all the people of Limpopo to celebrate 20 years of the unbanning of the African National Congress and other political parties by visiting Voluntary Counselling and Testing centres and access free counselling so that they can take HIV test and know their status.
Let us celebrate 20 years after the release of President Nelson Mandela by taking voluntary HIV test as part of this year’s Nelson Mandela Day donations. Let us dedicate our hosting of 2010 FIFA World Cup by kicking out HIV and AIDS susceptible behaviours before, during and beyond games.
Let us work together to speed up care and support for people living with HIV.
Let us be responsible
I am responsible
We are responsible
South Africa is taking responsibility
Amen!
Issued by: Department of Health and Social Development, Limpopo Provincial Government
19 February 2010
Source: Department of Health and Social Development, Limpopo Provincial Government (http://www.dhsd.limpopo.gov.za/)
