Transmission (PMTCT) facilities
10 September 2007
Health MEC Nomonde Rasmeni is embarking on a visit to health facilities
where she will meet expecting pregnant women and mothers and health
professionals in an effort to encourage women to attend PMTCT facilities and
encourage them to enrol on anti-retroviral treatment.
The department has noted a low number of women living with HIV and AIDS
attending PMTCT facilities which is a key to saving babies from being infected
with HIV from the mothers. Less than 50 percent of HIV positive women attend
PMCT facilities. PMTCT facilities provide nevirapine, a prevention measure for
transmission of HIV from the mother to the baby. Nevirapine is given to the
mother during childbirth and to the baby after the baby is born.
Non-attendance to PMTCT puts babies at risk of getting HIV infection from
the mother. Another danger is transmitting the virus through mixed feeding,
breast feeding, type of food, type of medication including traditional medicine
given to the baby. At PMTCT facilities mothers are given relevant information
on infant feeding.
In an effort to bring more women to the facilities and making
anti-retroviral treatment accessible to children and women, Health MEC Mrs
Nomonde Rasmeni has dedicated this month in visiting communities and health
facilities as part of raising the importance of attending PMTC facilities and
gaining access to anti retroviral treatment for children and women.
The outreach follows a partnership with the Wits Paediatric HIV Clinic pilot
project in the Ratlou, Ditsobotla and Mafikeng sub-districts to improve the
implementation of the PMTCT service within the 69 primary healthcare facilities
in these sub-districts. The project was launched in Mafikeng provincial
hospital last month earmarked to ensure children access ARVs in the
province.
Details:
Wednesday, 12 September 2007
Venue: Stilfontein Hospital
Time: 14h00
Thursday, 13 September 2007
Venue: Jouberton
Time: 09h30
Thursday, 20 September 2007
Venue: Bojanala
Time: 09h30
Thursday, 27 September 2007
Venue: Bophirima
Time: 09h30
Enquiries:
Mr Lwandile Sicwetsha
Cell: 079 873 6400
Lesiba Molala
Acting Departmental Spokesperson
Cell: 082 552 1319
Tel: 018 387 5627/5830
Issued by: Department of Health, North West Provincial Government
10 September 2007
