A task team report on the rollout of antiretroviral treatment in the public sector is expected shortly after which Cabinet will finalise the matter.

Briefing the media after its meeting in Pretoria yesterday, Cabinet said it welcomed the fact that the team had committed itself to deal with issues raised, with the utmost urgency.

It reiterated the issues were around the monitoring of people living with HIV/Aids, human resources and provincial business plans, among others.

Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang appointed the team last month, after Cabinet had requested it to urgently develop an operational plan by the end of September.

The 14-member team was assisted by a team of experts from the Clinton Foundation AIDS Initiative, established by former US President Bill Clinton and led by Ira Magaziner.

It is anticipated that between 2003 and 2010, the provision of the drugs is likely to save the lives of more than 1,7-million people living with HIV/Aids in the country.

Government spokesperson Joel Netshitenzhe said the team and health MECs in the country were looking at all those details, “so that when they pronounce to Cabinet that they are ready to start in the following areas, that information should be accurate”.

“The task team is literally working day and night to deal with those issues,” he said. Upon receiving the draft report last week, the health department said it had met with the task team and identified some areas that needed further strengthening and improvement.

“These areas relate to, amongst others, human resource requirements, capacity in different provinces and ensuring that the proposed antiretroviral programme becomes an integral part of the current health services, not a vertical programme,” said spokesperson Sibani Mngadi.

Sibani said the team had a wide range of issues to deal with in line with its terms of reference within a limited period of six weeks. “We therefore regard this critical project as a work-in-progress that will improve with the inputs received through government policy formulation processes”. Cabinet said it was expected that this work would be completed as soon as possible to finalise the matter. – BuaNews.