campaign
18 January 2007
The MEC for Health in KwaZulu Natal, Ms Peggy Nkonyeni, together with the
Management of uKhozi Radio will on Wednesday, 24 January 2007 officially launch
the Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) campaign at Wentworth Hospital in
Durban. The objective of the campaign is to encourage people to make the
responsible decision of knowing their status.
The theme of the campaign is: "Knowledge is Power: Know Your Status!" and
will involve road shows throughout the province of KwaZulu Natal.
Voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) is a combination of two activities -
counselling and testing - into a service that amplifies the benefits of both.
It is an approach that is useful in all settings - urban and rural. Because VCT
is adaptable to clients' needs, it can be done for individuals and couples, for
people of all ages and of all backgrounds. And, with proper training, members
of the clients' local community, regardless of their educational level, can do
the counselling component.
"It is of the utmost importance to ensure that people are educated about VCT
and we should encourage them to undergo HIV counselling so that they can make
informed decisions about being tested for HIV. As the department we have taken
it upon ourselves to play a meaningful role in reducing the burden of diseases
such as HIV and AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)," says the MEC
for Health, Mrs Peggy Nkonyeni.
The media is invited for a breakfast and briefing about the campaign as well
as to witness the public testing by the MEC for Health, the Head of Department,
Senior Managers of the Department of Health, Senior Managers from uKhozi,
political and community leaders.
The details of the launch are as follows:
Date: Wednesday, 24 January 2007
Time: 07h15 - 10h00
Venue: Wentworth Hospital, Durban
The media is invited to attend and report on this event.
For more information, please contact:
Mr Leon Mbangwa
Cell: 083 459 8695
Issued by: Department of Health, KwaZulu-Natal Government
18 January 2007
Source: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government (http://www.kwazulunatal.gov.za/)
