Date: 10/11/2002
Source: The Presidency
Title: J Zuma: National Health Providers' Prayer Day


ADDRESS BY DEPUTY PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA IN CELEBRATION OF NATIONAL HEALTH PROVIDERS' PRAYER DAY, Ermelo, Mpumalanga, 10 November 2002

The Premier of Mpumalanga, Mr Ndaweni Mahlangu,
Minister of Health, Dr Tshabalala-Msimang,
The Mayor of Msukalikwa,
The Mayor of Tshwane,
Representatives of the religious community,
Representatives of health sector trade unions,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

We are gathered here for a good cause, to honour those who render a selfless service to our people in their hour of need, our health care providers.

The National Health Providers' Prayer Day is an important day in our calendar, as it honours those unsung heroes and heroines who bear the brunt of the impact of poverty and disease.

Today's event takes place as part of a global programme to promote quality in the provision of health services and care. The health system is as good as the people who provide services and without dedicated health workers; the provision of accessible health care in our country would be difficult.

I must also single out the religious leaders for their active role in honouring our health workers today. The faith-based community has a critical role to play in our spirituality and in filling our lives with meaning and direction.

Your active role in providing support for health professionals is much appreciated, especially given the pressures they work under. A Partnership Against AIDS can only be strengthened by the participation of religious leaders.

While our health care system has to deal with all kinds of illnesses and wellness programmes, we are all aware that a key challenge of our time is the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

This epidemic is taking its toll not only on the population but also on health care providers who have to face the ill and dying every day, and provide counselling, care and support to them and their families. It is both physically and emotionally draining and we truly acknowledge the role of our health workers in this regard.

We have also realised the need for training. Out of 27 000 registered medical practitioners only 2 000 have been trained in providing care for people with HIV/AIDS. For this reason the Department of Health is running a series of training programmes in collaboration with academic institutions and other role-players.

Government is also working towards establishing public sector Centres of Excellence for HIV/AIDS Care in all nine provinces.

Their main objective will be to ensure development of curricula on HIV/AIDS and TB care, to ensure dissemination of guidelines, and to ensure health care workers are adequately skilled in providing care and support to those who need it.

We are also intensifying efforts to assist families affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Departments of Health, Social Development and Education work together on this. The assistance includes foster-care grants, assistance to child-headed households and food parcels.

I would like to use this opportunity to reiterate to all that we need to work together to fight the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS and those who are infected or affected by it. Negative attitudes can result in people being denied the treatment, care and support they need. They also discourage people from being tested.

Government is therefore intensifying its campaign against discrimination. Steps towards fighting discrimination include the drafting of a plan for national education on legal and human rights of people living with HIV/AIDS. This will be another tool to raise awareness about the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, to both those who are negative and those who have not sought to discover their status.

The fight against stigma and the support for health providers and caregivers is a mission we should all undertake, especially as we approach World AIDS Day on the 1st of December. What we need to bear in mind is that there is no longer a distinction between those living with HIV/AIDS and those who are not. We are all living with HIV/AIDS as we are all affected in some way, even if we are not infected by the virus.

Part of the campaign for the moral regeneration of our society involves building a caring nation, one in which the values of "ubuntu" and "letsema" motivate all of us to revive the collective and communal spirit of caring for our neighbours and the next person.

A society where we all declare that "every child is my child" and protect children from abuse or any form of neglect. We need to build a society where other vulnerable members of our communities, such as the elderly, are provided with the love and support that they need. That is why we are delighted to have religious leaders with us today, as they play a key role in reminding us of these values and responsibilities that we have as members of society.

Let me once again thank all the health care providers in our country and congratulate them on the tasks that they perform. You are a shining example in the country. You work long hours and go beyond the call of duty to practice all the values we cherish, of caring, ubuntu and love.

You are a reminder to us all that it is possible to care for others and to value other human beings and the sanctity of human life.

We should all learn from this example, and together, work even harder to build a truly caring South African nation.

I thank you.

Issued by The Presidency
10 November 2002