AIDS preventative message: Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka
9 October 2006
The Deputy President, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, has reaffirmed that
Government's HIV and AIDS prevention message: Abstain Be Faithful Condomise
(ABC) was still important in the fight against the pandemic.
"The ABC message still has an important role. However, this is not in
*isolation* from the prevention of mother to child transmission, providing of
post exposure prophylaxis, healthy life styles, nutrition, treatment and paying
attention to opportunistic infections," she said.
This the Deputy President said in a message during the 8th Anniversary of
the Partnership Against HIV and AIDS celebrations, Monday, 9 October 2006. The
Partnership was launched in 1998 by the then Deputy President Thabo Mbeki.
"We have always adopted a multidisciplinary approach. In 1998, we launched
the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), which is about partnerships.
We adopted a multi-sectoral strategy 2000-2005. In 2003 we adopted the
comprehensive plan for HIV and AIDS treatment and care. In 2006 we have gone
back to review SANAC and the Multi-Sectoral Plan," continued the Deputy
President.
Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka reiterated that: "In SANAC we want partnerships to work
better and to have a message that all of us can send to our people."
According to the Minister and Department of Health - notwithstanding
challenges in the implementation of the comprehensive plan, as of June 2006, 70
percent of district municipalities have 262 HIV and AIDS treatment sites
located in them.
Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka continued to state that Human Resource Development (HRD)
was a challenge in the Department of Health, which made it difficult to for
health professionals to cope with the management of the disease.
"The Minister of Health has been hands-on in the Joint Initiative on
Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA) and the Accelerated and Shared Growth
Initiative of South Africa (AsgiSA) in securing that those health skills were
given the necessary importance," said the Deputy President.
"We are again renewing the partnership, that Government through SANAC and
along with the Department and Ministry of Health, are working to improve
co-operation with all partners starting with people living with HIV and AIDS,
business, civil society and all of society in general has forged over eight
years ago. We are confident that together, we can overcome! Let us join hands
in a partnership of hope!" said the Deputy President.
Enquiries:
Thabang Chiloane
Cell: 082 888 8783
Issued by: The Presidency
9 October 2006
Source: SAPA
