Date: 12/01/2005
Source: Free State Provincial Government
Title: Belot: World AIDS Day
Speech by the Free State MEC of Health Sakhiwo Belot on World AIDS Day at the provincial World AIDS Day celebrations in Vredefort
Programme Director
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Today provides all of humanity across the world and in South Africa, another opportunity to yet again recommit ourselves to the crusade for the defeat of HIV and AIDS.
Whilst the challenge of combating the HIV and AIDS pandemic remains, we are convinced that at no stage of our struggle must we show signs of despair and hopelessness. We must draw courage and inspiration from the tremendous progress we are making.
The South African comprehensive HIV and AIDS programme is the largest in the world and our government has been commended for tripling its resource allocation for HIV and AIDS programmes since the adoption of the United Nations (UN) declaration of commitment on HIV and AIDS in 2001.
Ladies and gentlemen, our plan for the comprehensive treatment and care for HIV and AIDS has resulted among others in:
* Very high levels of awareness and stable levels of prevalence
* Life-skills education with trained teachers in almost every school
* An increase in the distribution rate of male and female condoms through our public health sector leading to almost universal access to condoms
* Aspects relating to nutrition being treated as a critical element for all communities and especially those living with HIV and AIDS
* Management and treatment of opportunistic infections in all our health facilities
* Syndrome-related management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
* Availability of health facilities that provide HIV and AIDS related prevention services including provision of anti-retroviral treatment in all five districts in the Free State
* Expansion of care and support for those affected by HIV and AIDS through increased social grants registrations and increases in the grants as well as the expansion of community home-based care programmes
* The improvement of working conditions and the retention of health professionals. This includes a scares-skills allowance for certain categories of health professionals such as doctors, pharmacists and specialist nurses and a rural allowance for health workers working in less developed parts of the country. Through this process we are trying to ensure that there are adequate resources available to cater for the needs of this programme.
I raise some of the elements of our comprehensive plan for treatment and care to dispel the notion that government is not serious in its programmes to fight and undermine the pandemic and reiterate our statement of commitment that: "We are a nation caring for life".
I am confident that the amount of resources we are investing in the lives of all our peoples will go a long way in undermining the further spread of this pandemic. The success of our programmes can never be fully realised unless it is anchored on a very strong community partnership.
The situation with regards to HIV and AIDS in our province is reflected in the following statistics and should signify to all of us that the fight is not yet over
* According to the results of the annual study of women attending antenatal clinics in the Free State in 2004, 29,5% of women are HIV positive. This is in comparison to the 2003 estimate of 27,9%, which means that there is a slight increase.
* It is estimated that about 470 000 people in the Free State are HIV positive.
* The Free State is presently regarded as the province with the third highest prevalence of HIV and AIDS in the country according to these statistics.
* HIV infection is the highest among women in their late twenties. Clearly, more efforts need to be directed at the youth and this group if we are to make an impact.
* The study has also shown very clearly that we need to continue emphasising prevention and must therefore continue to promote safer sex behaviour such as abstinence, being faithful and using condoms (or ABC messages), otherwise we may be faced with a HIV pandemic that is still has to reach its peak.
In our province, we have formed successful partnerships and this is embodied in the provincial AIDS Council and is expressed in action through joint initiatives involving government, communities, non-governmental organisations, faith-based organisations and organised bodies of civil society. It is this partnership and commitment that inspire us to say that: "There is hope, together in partnership we can overcome HIV and AIDS".
We are a nation caring for life.
Political commitment is signified in the partnerships we have formed to strengthen our resolve and our resources and I am proud to say that in the province we’ve establishment partnership structures such as the provincial AIDS Council, five district AIDS councils, 18 local AIDS councils within the 20 local municipalities; a provincial men’s forum, a provincial traditional leaders’ and healers’ forum was established as well as a faith-based organisation forum. Traditional leaders in Motheo and Thabo Mofutsanyana districts are also on board in a firm partnership. In the provincial government, all social sector government departments under the leadership of my counterparts have recognised the need to firmly address HIV and AIDS through our millennium goal programme.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have also formed a firm partnership against tuberculosis (TB) and I do not need to remind us all that the combination of tuberculosis and HIV and AIDS puts a double burden on our health services. The Partnership Against Tuberculosis or PAT was established in September 2004. The memorandum of understanding was signed by the Premier of the province, Members of the Executive Council, members of the Free State provincial legislature, municipal mayors, department managers and other influential structures at all community settings. The main objective with the establishment of PAT is to mount sustained and highly visible campaigns that will unite all the Free State communities in the fight against TB.
It is expected of all of us to intensify this partnership across society. We have to consider bringing on board other partners and in this regard the media is an important partner because of its potential to communicate messages of awareness and hope, and to keep the nation accurately informed about the campaign against HIV and AIDS.
It is important for me to highlight some of our successes and I cannot but talk about the comprehensive plan that provides the programme on antiretrovirals (ARVs). Not everybody who is HIV positive needs anti-retroviral treatment. Our community should understand that one can live a full productive life for many years without ARV, depending on your lifestyle. The decision whether or not to go on to anti-retroviral treatment will be based on clinical evidence, including the CD4 counts. The number of sites established or accredited since inception of the programme is 10 (and this includes both treatment and assessment sites).
To date more than 87 000 people have had access to the Voluntary Confidential Counselling and Training (VCCT) programme which is provided in 235 VCCT facilities throughout the province. There are also nine VCCT facilities provided by our partners.
About 3 500 people in the Free State were on ARV treatment at the end of November 2005, including 368 children plus 122 people being treated by the Catholic Relief Services.
Ladies and gentlemen, It is very important that the patients should proceed through the whole drug readiness programme before starting their lifelong treatment. No national review regarding the comprehensive plan on ARV treatment has been done yet. For this reason, the Free State is unable to compare how it is doing in relation to other provinces.
As part of the comprehensive HIV and AIDS programme, home-based care is another important area which I need to highlight. Currently, all towns in the Free State has a home-based care programme and we have about 2 300 home-based carers delivering a much-needed service to those in need. To address the comprehensive approach, they also deal with support on other debilitating diseases. I would like to take the opportunity to commend those selfless community healthcare-givers who provide critical support to those infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. We urge you to continue doing this excellent work in the spirit of Letsema and Vuk’uzenzele. As government we will do everything in our power to recognise your efforts by among others taking you onto capacity-building programmes, which will eventually path your own careers in the healthcare profession.
Programme Director, I wish to reiterate that there is no known cure for AIDS. We therefore cannot afford as a nation to lower our guard. Prevention therefore remains the cornerstone of our campaign!
We must therefore strengthen the hand of the nation in fighting HIV and AIDS in keeping with the mandate of building a better life for all. To this extent, we will continue, in partnership with all our people, to
* encourage people to seek voluntary counselling through the VCCT programme as the results will assist in behaviour change and promotion of healthy lifestyles;
* step up the prevention campaign so that those who are not infected remain negative; * sustain the community education and mobilisation programme so as to strengthen the partnership against HIV and AIDS;
* expand programmes aimed at boosting the immune system and slowing down the effects of HIV infection, including the option of traditional health care for those who prefer this service;
* improve our efforts in treating opportunistic infections for those who are infected but have not reached a stage at which they require anti-retroviral treatment; and
* intensify our support for families affected by HIV and AIDS.
Programme Director, we are confident that together with all our people and bound by the contract of as better life for all, we shall build the Free State a into the province and a land of our dreams!!
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Health, Free State Provincial Government
1 December 2005
Source: Free State Provincial Government
Title: Belot: World AIDS Day
Speech by the Free State MEC of Health Sakhiwo Belot on World AIDS Day at the provincial World AIDS Day celebrations in Vredefort
Programme Director
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Today provides all of humanity across the world and in South Africa, another opportunity to yet again recommit ourselves to the crusade for the defeat of HIV and AIDS.
Whilst the challenge of combating the HIV and AIDS pandemic remains, we are convinced that at no stage of our struggle must we show signs of despair and hopelessness. We must draw courage and inspiration from the tremendous progress we are making.
The South African comprehensive HIV and AIDS programme is the largest in the world and our government has been commended for tripling its resource allocation for HIV and AIDS programmes since the adoption of the United Nations (UN) declaration of commitment on HIV and AIDS in 2001.
Ladies and gentlemen, our plan for the comprehensive treatment and care for HIV and AIDS has resulted among others in:
* Very high levels of awareness and stable levels of prevalence
* Life-skills education with trained teachers in almost every school
* An increase in the distribution rate of male and female condoms through our public health sector leading to almost universal access to condoms
* Aspects relating to nutrition being treated as a critical element for all communities and especially those living with HIV and AIDS
* Management and treatment of opportunistic infections in all our health facilities
* Syndrome-related management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
* Availability of health facilities that provide HIV and AIDS related prevention services including provision of anti-retroviral treatment in all five districts in the Free State
* Expansion of care and support for those affected by HIV and AIDS through increased social grants registrations and increases in the grants as well as the expansion of community home-based care programmes
* The improvement of working conditions and the retention of health professionals. This includes a scares-skills allowance for certain categories of health professionals such as doctors, pharmacists and specialist nurses and a rural allowance for health workers working in less developed parts of the country. Through this process we are trying to ensure that there are adequate resources available to cater for the needs of this programme.
I raise some of the elements of our comprehensive plan for treatment and care to dispel the notion that government is not serious in its programmes to fight and undermine the pandemic and reiterate our statement of commitment that: "We are a nation caring for life".
I am confident that the amount of resources we are investing in the lives of all our peoples will go a long way in undermining the further spread of this pandemic. The success of our programmes can never be fully realised unless it is anchored on a very strong community partnership.
The situation with regards to HIV and AIDS in our province is reflected in the following statistics and should signify to all of us that the fight is not yet over
* According to the results of the annual study of women attending antenatal clinics in the Free State in 2004, 29,5% of women are HIV positive. This is in comparison to the 2003 estimate of 27,9%, which means that there is a slight increase.
* It is estimated that about 470 000 people in the Free State are HIV positive.
* The Free State is presently regarded as the province with the third highest prevalence of HIV and AIDS in the country according to these statistics.
* HIV infection is the highest among women in their late twenties. Clearly, more efforts need to be directed at the youth and this group if we are to make an impact.
* The study has also shown very clearly that we need to continue emphasising prevention and must therefore continue to promote safer sex behaviour such as abstinence, being faithful and using condoms (or ABC messages), otherwise we may be faced with a HIV pandemic that is still has to reach its peak.
In our province, we have formed successful partnerships and this is embodied in the provincial AIDS Council and is expressed in action through joint initiatives involving government, communities, non-governmental organisations, faith-based organisations and organised bodies of civil society. It is this partnership and commitment that inspire us to say that: "There is hope, together in partnership we can overcome HIV and AIDS".
We are a nation caring for life.
Political commitment is signified in the partnerships we have formed to strengthen our resolve and our resources and I am proud to say that in the province we’ve establishment partnership structures such as the provincial AIDS Council, five district AIDS councils, 18 local AIDS councils within the 20 local municipalities; a provincial men’s forum, a provincial traditional leaders’ and healers’ forum was established as well as a faith-based organisation forum. Traditional leaders in Motheo and Thabo Mofutsanyana districts are also on board in a firm partnership. In the provincial government, all social sector government departments under the leadership of my counterparts have recognised the need to firmly address HIV and AIDS through our millennium goal programme.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have also formed a firm partnership against tuberculosis (TB) and I do not need to remind us all that the combination of tuberculosis and HIV and AIDS puts a double burden on our health services. The Partnership Against Tuberculosis or PAT was established in September 2004. The memorandum of understanding was signed by the Premier of the province, Members of the Executive Council, members of the Free State provincial legislature, municipal mayors, department managers and other influential structures at all community settings. The main objective with the establishment of PAT is to mount sustained and highly visible campaigns that will unite all the Free State communities in the fight against TB.
It is expected of all of us to intensify this partnership across society. We have to consider bringing on board other partners and in this regard the media is an important partner because of its potential to communicate messages of awareness and hope, and to keep the nation accurately informed about the campaign against HIV and AIDS.
It is important for me to highlight some of our successes and I cannot but talk about the comprehensive plan that provides the programme on antiretrovirals (ARVs). Not everybody who is HIV positive needs anti-retroviral treatment. Our community should understand that one can live a full productive life for many years without ARV, depending on your lifestyle. The decision whether or not to go on to anti-retroviral treatment will be based on clinical evidence, including the CD4 counts. The number of sites established or accredited since inception of the programme is 10 (and this includes both treatment and assessment sites).
To date more than 87 000 people have had access to the Voluntary Confidential Counselling and Training (VCCT) programme which is provided in 235 VCCT facilities throughout the province. There are also nine VCCT facilities provided by our partners.
About 3 500 people in the Free State were on ARV treatment at the end of November 2005, including 368 children plus 122 people being treated by the Catholic Relief Services.
Ladies and gentlemen, It is very important that the patients should proceed through the whole drug readiness programme before starting their lifelong treatment. No national review regarding the comprehensive plan on ARV treatment has been done yet. For this reason, the Free State is unable to compare how it is doing in relation to other provinces.
As part of the comprehensive HIV and AIDS programme, home-based care is another important area which I need to highlight. Currently, all towns in the Free State has a home-based care programme and we have about 2 300 home-based carers delivering a much-needed service to those in need. To address the comprehensive approach, they also deal with support on other debilitating diseases. I would like to take the opportunity to commend those selfless community healthcare-givers who provide critical support to those infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. We urge you to continue doing this excellent work in the spirit of Letsema and Vuk’uzenzele. As government we will do everything in our power to recognise your efforts by among others taking you onto capacity-building programmes, which will eventually path your own careers in the healthcare profession.
Programme Director, I wish to reiterate that there is no known cure for AIDS. We therefore cannot afford as a nation to lower our guard. Prevention therefore remains the cornerstone of our campaign!
We must therefore strengthen the hand of the nation in fighting HIV and AIDS in keeping with the mandate of building a better life for all. To this extent, we will continue, in partnership with all our people, to
* encourage people to seek voluntary counselling through the VCCT programme as the results will assist in behaviour change and promotion of healthy lifestyles;
* step up the prevention campaign so that those who are not infected remain negative; * sustain the community education and mobilisation programme so as to strengthen the partnership against HIV and AIDS;
* expand programmes aimed at boosting the immune system and slowing down the effects of HIV infection, including the option of traditional health care for those who prefer this service;
* improve our efforts in treating opportunistic infections for those who are infected but have not reached a stage at which they require anti-retroviral treatment; and
* intensify our support for families affected by HIV and AIDS.
Programme Director, we are confident that together with all our people and bound by the contract of as better life for all, we shall build the Free State a into the province and a land of our dreams!!
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Health, Free State Provincial Government
1 December 2005
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