Your worship, Executive Mayor of Ekurhuleni;
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Health in Ekurhuleni;
Local Councilors present;
Members of the Gauteng AIDS Council present;
Pastors present;
Representatives of Traditional Healers Organisations;
Congregants;
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen
The story of HIV and AIDS is often conveyed in terms of figures, and percentages.
These figures and percentages often hide the individual stories, the resilience of those infected and affected, and the tragedies of those who find themselves at the coal face of the epidemic.
That is why we are gathered to remember those who passed on due to HIV and AIDS, and also to support those who are living with HIV.
As a caring government, we host this event every third week of May, in order to send a clear message to all our people that: Working together we can break the back of HIV and AIDS!
Programme director,
Government has prioritised HIV and AIDS. In the 2009 election manifesto we stated clearly about our plans to: "Reduce the rate of new HIV infections by 50%. "We also committed ourselves to: "Expand access to treatment, care and support to at least 80% of HIV positive people."
Programme director,
We have taken decisive steps in order to reduce the impact of HIV and AIDS in our communities. All our clinics in Gauteng offer Voluntary Counselling and Testing services.
In April last year, the State President launched the HIV Counselling and Testing Campaign at Natalspruit hospital.
As I speak, more than 1 million people have been tested for HIV at our hospitals and clinics since the launch of the campaign.
We prioritise HIV testing because we want everybody to know their status. If you test negative, we have programmes that will assist you to strive to remain negative.
If on the other hand, you test HIV positive, we also have programmes that will help you to live a long healthy and productive life. In other words if you know your status, we will arm you with knowledge which will help you to take appropriate measures.
Programme director,
While we refer to Voluntary Counselling and Testing as an entry point into the HIV and AIDS continuum of care, we do so because we recognise and value social mobilisation as one of the key responses to the challenge of HIV and AIDS.
The power of social mobilisation can never be over emphasised.
That is why knowing one’s status is so important. The statistics that we have show that men are also taking up testing for HIV as compared to previous periods when they showed reluctance in this regard.
This is very encouraging, and we plead with more men to avail themselves for Voluntary Counselling and Testing.
Programme director,
As we remember those who died from HIV and AIDS, it is also important to remind our people that when they present themselves late at our clinics and hospitals for treatment, it becomes difficult for them to be restored to complete health.
The number of people who have died from HIV and AIDS is increased by people who arrive at our facilities when it is already too late for their lives to be saved!
According to our records, almost half of the number of people who are admitted at our hospitals are ill due to conditions that are HIV related. Unfortunately some of them are only diagnosed when it is already too late! This puts a huge strain on the health system!
Programme director,
As I speak, by the end of March this year, we had registered a total of 412 191 people on Anti-Retroviral Treatment.
We achieved this milestone through extending this service to clinics. This treatment is now available at 95 public health facilities in Ekurhuleni, 34 of which are situated in KATHORUS!
By the end of March this year, we had increased the number of public health facilities providing this treatment to 278, this includes hospitals and clinics. People no longer have to travel longer distances to access this treatment!
By the end of April next year, approximately 520 000 people will access this treatment, from our public health facilities.
Since the launch of the HIV Counselling and Treatment Campaign by the State President in April last year, more than 1 million people have been tested.
We will continue to encourage the people of Gauteng to know their HIV status and to take appropriate measures depending on their status.
We will also strongly focus on male circumcision because we know that it assists in reducing transmission of HIV.
We pride ourselves in implementing the broadest and most comprehensive HIV and AIDS programme in the developing world.
I therefore plead with families of people who are on treatment to support them to take their medication as prescribed. Evidence has shown that adherence to treatment not only improves the quality of life but more years are added to one’s life.
We have trained Community Health Workers who visit some patients at their homes and assist them to adhere to treatment regimens.
All sectors of society have an important role to play in this struggle. We cannot afford to relax when we experience an HIV infection rate of approximately 250 people per day in Gauteng.
We all know that there is no cure for HIV and AIDS and therefore, prevention remains paramount. To this end we have increased the budget for HIV and AIDS by almost 130% every year, since 2004. This year’s budget is R1 727 201, 000!
Programme director,
Allow me to talk about HIV related statistics, here in Vosloorus.
In 2010 alone a total number of 2 058 tested HIV positive at our clinics in Vosloorus, these included 18 children under the age of five. Furthermore, 3 745 new cases of Sexually Transmitted Illnesses were treated at our clinics in Vosloorus in 2010.
Chances of HIV infection and transmission are much higher if one has a Sexually Transmitted Infection.
This goes to show that we still have a long way to go to stop the spread of HIV in our area.
Programme Director,
Government has declared war on AIDS. We commend the role that has been played by the Religious Sector in partnering with us in this crusade.
I take this opportunity to urge church leaders and moral leaders to continue to make HIV and AIDS a central theme of their messages in places of worship. We simply cannot afford to be coy or shy about this issue. Let us call it by name!
We need to talk openly about gender inequality and its impact on the prevalence of HIV and AIDS. We must address these social norms and deep rooted attitudes that women are the possessions of men and that they must be available for sex at the beck and call of males.
Women must be empowered to protect themselves. If we don’t change these attitudes and behaviour, we are not going to win the war against HIV and AIDS.
Working together we will break the back of HIV and AIDS!
I thank you.
